The cause and the people

When one gets involved with working for a cause for the greater good (in whichever way it may be), the motivation arises from the belief that this work is valuable and important. It rewards the volunteer with a feeling of purpose and pride, because (s)he is doing something that matters instead of just earning money without thinking about the 'why'. To really open the eyes and start dealing with the great challenges of our time rather than just going about a socially accepted daily routine can result in a feeling similar to a morally induced high. Like all highs, it will vanish after some time. When the valuable work starts to become a routine as well and the initial excitement decreases; when the cause looses a bit of its sexappeal due to the getting-used-to-it, the social dynamics in the group of people working together for the same goal gain a lot of importance.

Many great initiatives broke apart because of silly misunderstandings that were not solved timely and led to feelings of uneasiness which, after a while, grew to be disappointment, anger and mistrust. On the other hand, a fully functional social circle can boost the productivity of every individual to its maximum. If communication is handled with care and the will to understand the other, disagreements can be resolved without necessarily creating friction. If the people involved share the will to see the bigger picture and are open and able to accept constructive criticism, no issue can disrupt the closeness and trust inside the group. Of course there can be discussions and differing opinions, but this can be as much of an asset as it can be a disadvantage, it all depends on how it is handled communicatively. Again, this all depends on the communicative skills of the individuals, to articulate carefully but on point, to say what they have to say without being insulting or degrading and to listen when other people speak up, especially when voicing resistance to something all of the others may agree on.

Personal sensitivities may be a drag to deal with, and everybody should try to work on their own mental state to be the best person they can be, but in the meantime groups have to handle those sensitivities, too. It is absolutely important to keep in mind what seemingly little reasons can make individuals turn their backs on a cause. Feeling not appreciated, feeling alienated, feeling overrun or overtaxed makes people not wanting to work in the setting that makes them feel like this anymore. The cause may be the initial reason for a person to join a group, but the people already in that group are what makes that person stay for a long time. Nobody volunteers in a group of people (s)he has no pleasant personal connection to. At least not for long.