Why don't people do more to help society?

[Calmnesspersonified]

I just went for a walk and it got me thinking about why people don't do more to help society. It's been raging on my local community facebook groups about why the paths aren't gritted (it's been really icy here) but there's no way that the council can do even a tiny percentage of all of them.

I grit my estate every time it's icy and don't understand why more people don't do the same. If everyone just adopted their street and made sure it was gritted in the ice and kept free of litter a huge proportion of the country would be litter free and navigable in the ice. I know that some couldn't get involved e.g. the elderly, people working crazy hours, some disabilities etc but millions more could.

Even if there's no nearby grit bin, a bag of grit doesn't cost a fortune and many people can afford a few pounds (I'm well aware some can't and that's understandable). Litter pickers can be as cheap as £2 and are often available for free from town councils. Sacks often are too.

It doesn't even have to take more than a few minutes. It took about 3 minutes to grit my road this morning. I went to the dentist on Monday and got there 15 minutes early. I picked up half a sack of rubbish outside while I waited (instead of playing on my phone like everyone else in the waiting room).

There's so many ways to help. Listen to readers at a local school, offer to take your neighbours kids/dog for a walk to give them an hour free, volunteer to go into a care home to talk to someone who doesn't get visitors, slip a fiver through the letter box of someone you know is struggling, give a fiver to the food bank, litter pick, grit your road etc. Why don't people do more. People say they don't have time but so many spend hours on their phone or watching TV.

I'm certainly no bloody angel but I couldn't sit back and do nothing to help my town. Why don't people do more?

No need for that at all.

I would imagine that many people think they pay their council tax for these jobs so why should they have to do them?

I'd pick up litter outside my house but I'm not buying grit and gritting my road!

I should just point out that the litter picking and gritting were just examples. There are so many ways to help but this thread just proves so many people just make excuses not to help. So sad. And they'll be raising their kids to not help out either.

@Calmnesspersonified every day that it's icy.

I'm disabled. What if I fell trying to manage bags of grit? Oxtercogging them in and out of the car, and to and from the back of my house (where they'd have to be stored)?

There is literally not one grit bin in my whole village.

I agree. In countries that get a lot of snow and ice some have a law you have to clear the front of your house. Makes sense. We did ours in those weeks before Xmas. I also do planting in areas that just have weeds in and my kids and I go litter picking in the park. I want where I live to be nice and my kids to be part of society.

Why don't you volunteer in the way I do? What makes your way superior?

I volunteer weekly for three charities, and regularly buy from and donate to charity shops.

I’ve had a few comments about doing voluntary work in the vein of ie “what do you want to do that for” - type comments. Not said in a curious way, but a sneery way. I enjoy it, I’ve met lots of people, it may help me get back into that workforce, and it’s giving a little back to society.

Some people have valid reasons for being unable to do things that would help others, but in general society has become very selfish and me me me, what’s in it for meeee.

Oh dear. Well feel free to snigger at me.

exactly - many people do a huge amount, and I expect I do more than the OP, hours and hours more, most likely.

Op have you taken in a Ukrainin refugee? Do you help run a brownie pack? Do you man an overnight emergency help line? Do you volunteer as a first aider at major events? HOw often do you set up and run a shelter for the homeless over night? Or cook for a soup kitchen?

I expect you will say you dont have the time or resources to do this. Lots of people dont have the time or resources to do what you are expecting, either.

I do everything on that list above, but dont have the resources to access grit or move it around

I don't think that's what the op was saying at all. More that, if everyone did their bit, in whatever way, for the good of society, we would all be better off.

I didn't say my way was superior. I am talking to the people who do nothing to help at all.

I don’t think people realise how much volunteering goes on in society. I used to volunteer and had to start stepping back as it was like working full time plus some extra hours at certain times. I wasn’t alone. I see people working full time and then rushing to fulfil their evening and weekend volunteering commitments. Btw I stepped back partly because of ill health and should have stepped back many times because of the guilt I experienced at juggling family time, often put others in front of my family, because if I didn’t others would be without. There are many thousands out there volunteering in ways you couldn’t imagine. Sadly some because society can’t afford to pay others to meet the need. I used to pay for grit and grit the pavement outside I simply can’t now.

I know literally hundreds of volunteers pouring their heart and soul into the community in dozens of ways.

I know one or two litter pickers. I dont know any road gritters

@MrsSchrute well she's had a real go at me, despite me explaining that I'm disabled and there's no grit bins in my village so I'm not so sure.

And it's actually four charities. I forgot one

You sound pleasant.

People don't help in general because there are too many takers who don't care. As long as they are alright jack screw everyone else.

Saying this many folk I know do give their time and resources to local groups they seem much happier individuals. If you have a societal purpose it has been shown you are generally just happier in your outlook and disposition.

Then again there has always been people who get stuck into life and those that sit and complain. Always was always will be.

@Calmnesspersonified why have you had such a go at me then?

I clearly said not everyone might be able to do it but I bet there's others in your street who could and who don't.

I don’t think OP is suggesting that people who already volunteer and help society should all spend what little time they have left gritting paths, necessarily.

More that, overall, society is full of people who do nothing to help others.

I chair the PTA and it tends to be the people who work full time and have very busy lives already, who volunteer to do stuff to help. There’s a whole other clique of ‘ladies who lunch’ and always have time to have their nails done, who never turn out to help with anything.

If some of those people who do nothing for society could start, what a massive difference that could make.

@Calmnesspersonified who? Who are you to decide if I or anyone else should do more and in a form acceptable to you?

I didn't but I apologise if it came across that way.

I live in a village and people help each other out all the time. A man started my mum's car for just the other day. A local guy soldiered the jack on my electric guitar for free, because he had a soldering iron. People also clean up the park and coast.

That's exactly it. Thank you.

Where did she have a go at you?

Great!