I would like to draw your attention to a passage from the novel "Our Mutual Friend," the last completed work of Charles Dickens. In the book he writes, "No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else." Sometimes it is easy to feel insignificant, particularly when starting a new school or a new job and people walk past you without a smile or any form of acknowledgement. Considering the life of Charles Dickens, one can see this. His father was thrown in debtor's prison when he was 12 years old, necessitating Charles to drop out of school and start work in a factory working ten hours a day. I imagine the despair of young Charles, thinking that his aspirations are cut short by the need to drop from school to support his family. Maybe he thought that it was the end of his potential, and he would need to spend a lifetime toiling to make a living doing tasks that brought him no joy or fulfillment. Fortunately, his father received some inheritance three years later, buying his release from debtor's prison and allowing Charles to go back to school where he went on to develop the foundation to become one of the most well known and influential writers in the world. This experience, and his interaction with others who had and who had not, influenced the characters in his books.
I can think of a couple of lessons from this. One, Charles Dickens recognized that one's wealth, or lack thereof, does not dictate how much one has to give back to society. Consider that there are some people who are very wealthy that do little or nothing to contribute to others' wellbeing, other than purchase products and employ servants. Two, young Charles did not let the setback of a three-year withdrawal from school keep him from pursuing his dream and realizing his potential. Our past forms our thinking but does not have to dictate our future.
In closing, consider the words of Scouting's founder, Lord Baden-Powell, who said, "Nobody is too small to do a good turn, even if it is only to smile." I submit that your worth to society is not what you have, but what you give.
A Scout is Helpful.