Decades ago, America reflected the values of patriotism, volunteerism, service and concern for our fellow citizens. While some of these ideals continue today, the scale seems to have greatly diminished.

Politics and social justice have become increasingly divisive. Rare is the time that elected officials can simply differ in opinion and be friends afterwards. I love the story of Republican President Ronald Reagan going out to have a drink with Democrat Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil even after opposing each other on legislation or policy. These two were diametrically opposed in their politics yet would continue to be friends outside of the offices they held.

Outside of politics, the good nature of the country has also devolved to a lesser plain. Remember the days when the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts and other youth groups represented the up-and-coming goodness in America. As an Eagle Scout myself, I remember that we were always asked to seek to do service and uphold the Scout slogan of “Do a good turn daily”. If only that slogan could return to national prominence.

Remember the days when every city or town had multiple service clubs including Lions, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, Elks and many others. Participation in these service clubs has either disappeared with clubs discontinued or greatly diminished in number. In my experience in similar clubs, people were happy to be members, but many didn’t want to dedicate time to help. This left a select few to carry out the activities. Continuity was difficult since many became burned out with no one to take their place. The sad part is that those who benefited the most from the efforts were the last to participate.

During a recent conference I attended, the presenter stated that loneliness and depression represent 50% of the healthcare services provided by doctors nationwide. Whether this statistic is accurate or not, it indicates that social, behavioral and mental health issues may be an increasing reason for the challenges in America.

Recent surveys have shown that Americans have also decreased their faith in religion and have been leaving their churches in large numbers. This exodus doesn’t mean that an individual’s values and morals have necessarily changed but may no longer believe in organized religion. The question will be if that trend will be reversed and churches experience a resurgence in religious affiliations.

Whether the reason for the nation’s changing values is due to vitriolic politics, mental disorders, or church abandonment, the solution is simple but hard to implement. We need to think less about ourselves and more about others. This can be done by rededicating ourselves to serving others and becoming volunteers again. Service brings a

sense of self-worth, and a level of happiness not easily derived elsewhere, not to mention the joy that service provides to the recipient.

In the Bear Lake valley, there are many opportunities to serve and organizations ready to receive volunteers; namely, Bear Lake Valley Healthcare Foundation and Hospital Auxiliary, Bear Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Montpelier Community Foundation, Rotary Club, Bear Lake Serves, youth groups, PTO’s, and many others. If you have an interest in experiencing that joy and happiness that comes from service to others and the community, consider joining their ranks.

While sharing your time is of the utmost value, sometimes it may be difficult due to current commitments. If your time is too difficult to share, these organizations welcome donations and contributions to help with their stated worthy goals.

This column is not meant to dwell on the challenges that face Americans and Bear Lakers, but to give options to improve our sense of self-worth in our own community. After 30 years of serving on most of the local non-profit and service organizations, it has provided me with a sense of value and joy to have served others and helped to enhance my community. Volunteering is one of the best ways to help improve oneself and provide necessary service to others.

How about it? Are you ready to volunteer?