How to help others and make the world a better place

Reflections from a previous UNICEF employee

Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash

As many people out there, I was once sick and tired of working for a commercial company, not feeling my job had much of a positive impact on the world. So over three years ago I left the startup I worked for and joined UNICEF Sweden. I wanted to make a difference, have a job that contributed more than only making money out of users. Yet, working for an NGO brought me innumerable reflections about what help actually means. I left UNICEF over a year ago to take some time off and delve into the realms of spiritual and existential questions. In this period I got deep into the emotional maturity and personal development wagon, and here are my preliminary conclusions when it comes to helping the world be a better place. Beware that despite my parallels to my experience with NGOs, I am thinking here mostly of day-to-day help, and not about help in emergency situations where not even drinkable water and food are to be found. This article is about helping each other to live better lives, and not about fighting to survive.

So…. help what?

Reduce child marriage, child pregnancy, sexual violence? To stop wars? To connect people to their inner selves? To improve the integration of immigrants? It gives me shivers every time I hear…