Herzberg Reading

From middle school to high school, I was always required to complete a certain number of community service hours in order to graduate. Going into college, although I am not required to complete any service hours in order to get my degree, I still try to devote a good portion of my time to give back to the community in one way or another. However, after Herzberg’s reading, I started questioning the motives behind my acts of service. On page 309, Susan Stroud explains that “if our community service efforts are not structured to raise the issues that result in critical analysis of the issues, then we are not involved in education and social change – we are involved in charity” (Herzberg, 1994). This passage stuck out to me because although I am sure I thought about existing social issues during community service projects, I did not think about it to the point where I truly understood the forces behind existing poverty, discrimination, inequality, and more. I realize that developing a deep sense of social consciousness can be a difficult task in a society that emphasizes the importance in “reaching the top.” Although we live in a country looked upon as a land of opportunities, I think many people can agree that this idea is a deceitful one. I know various stories in which working hard has not necessarily led to success, applying mostly to immigrants who have come to the U.S. to take advantage of the “equal opportunity” everyone has been talking about. Overall, I thought that Herzberg illustrated his points in a way that could make other people take a step back and take in society as for what it really is.