I love to volunteer.  It’s an ego thing really because helping others makes me feel good about myself and distracts me from my own issues for a while.  I don’t need people to say thanks but it’s great when they do so it’s not really an unselfish act on my part.  I do think though that if I’m offering to help I’ll do whatever is needed.  It’s about the people you are trying to help.  Some volunteers drive me crazy because they seem to forget this.

There’s no a word for it but if you offer to help but only in terms of what you want to do anyways then that’s not really volunteering to me.  It’s doing whatever you want and then glory seeking by telling everyone you’re doing it for someone else.   I’ve learnt that you don’t actually put these ‘gloryteers’(?) in any position other than what they want to do, regardless of if that is what the people they are meant to be helping really need.  They’ll just do whatever they want to anyway whilst accusing you of being a bully to the powers that be because you almost ruined their glory.  At the same time they’ll have a public statement on facebook or something telling the world how wonderful they are (for doing what they wanted rather than what was needed).  A year ago you were helping them and now rather than them paying it forward they just attack you instead.  Who needs that crap.

Here’s the truth as I see it

If you volunteer to help out at a run but just ignore the people who need help and do your own run

If you’re meant to help the slower people but help the faster people who already have help because it looks better

If people who you’ve meant to be helping behind you are struggling so that you can run with your mates

If you go on about how much you’ve helped but really are just doing your own thing

If you do your own thing then feel guilty so you project the blame on to someone else

Then I would have asked what your true intentions are.  Now I no longer care.  The glory hunters can have the asylum.