CSV Blog

I’ve done some volunteer work in my community lately, and I found a beautiful thing, a relationship beyond that of just teacher and student, I saw the rarely seen Mentor and Apprentice. There is an elderly volunteer in my area, and he seems to take thing seriously. He teaches seriously, but with love and care, he laughs but knows when to keep things serious. He’s a master of his art, he is a skilled carpenter, and he helps out with the more handiwork type of things, in fact he it’s almost like he handles the team who in that specific area.

His knowledge of carpentry is quite amazing, but being just an outside observer I cannot really distinguish the things they do that much, but it is still clear to me that he holds skills beyond the caliber of those who surround them, and mind you not all of them are young men and women, there are people in the mid-thirties who holds the tools quite skillfully, but they pale in comparison to the master that is the senior volunteer. Though, he does not keep these skills and secrets for himself, he teaches those who comes to him for advice. This is why I love it when someone in an advance age volunteers, aside from helping out of the pure goodness of their hearts, their wisdom and mastery in whatever art shines, which they happily share to those who seek it.

Many people today often hide their the secrets to their skills out of fear of them being outshined, but what they fail to understand is that failing to share the knowledge of what they have is what causes the decay of the art as whole to humanity. We have abandoned the tradition of teaching and taking an apprentice, which in turn we surrendered our goals to becoming true masters of our arts. While school teaches us the basics of understanding the world, it now fails to teach us how to achieve mastery, though how can it when only a master taking in an apprentice can achieve such results.

I wish for more elders to either go back to teaching or maybe volunteer in the community, as they are the generation that achieved the wonders which formed the foundation where we built the world we enjoy today. It doesn’t matter if they are professionals or not, sometimes they themselves do not notice it, but they have achieved mastery in their own right. May it be it is as simple as wood carving, cooking, or mending clothes, or as complex as fixing machines, building houses, or medical knowledge their wisdom and knowhow is more valuable as gold. They have ran the world before us, and today it still stand, that says a lot.

If you are an elder, I implore you to explore volunteering in your community or even other countries, we still need you guidance, the mantle may have been passed on to new leaders, but you still live and contain the knowledge and skills that we will need to form a better world.

So you are retired, maybe thinking of moving to Florida and just relax the remainder of your years, but somehow you still feel that there are many things you can still do to help the community or even the world. That is true, your advance age is not something that should stop you from doing more for the world and its people. The experience and skills you have acquired throughout your life should not be wasted, as long as you have the will and the strength to do so, you should do what you can. Many seniors and retired individuals are now volunteering to help the local community and also third world countries.

If you are someone with engineering or construction background, you can volunteer in programs that provide housing for the homeless. With the lack of people with skill to handle the construction work, elders with strong bodies are welcome to join, given their doctors give them the go ahead. If not work in the field, you can also help with planning and the more paper side of the construction, licensed engineers who are willing to work probono are quite rare, but if you are retired and doing well why not assist organizations with you great skills only achievable through the wisdom only time can bring. Wise learned teachers of the art are rare and needed, become a beacon to those who would like to one day be able to accomplish what you have already done.

If you are someone of the medical field, many who have no access to basic medical care need people like you. As you have before, continue to save the lives of people, both in your local community and in countries that needs it the most.  Organizations from all over the world will welcome your assistance and wisdom, teach those who would like to learn how to save a life, that way you will continue to save hundreds if not thousands of lives, through those you teach, whether or not they are recognized as doctors or nurses.

You don’t even need to be someone from a specialized field, teachers, business professionals, or any field of work, whatever your field of work or skills is you still have the ability to change the world by giving time to people and volunteer to teach them hands on. We need the wisdom of those who succeeded in life and found their own way in life, you are the true masters of your field, and we are but apprentices, if you allow yourself to become mentors to the current and next generation, you can help mold this world for the better.

You have lived life well, I ask now if you could allow us to reach what you have reached. Before you give us the mantle of stewardship to this world, we ask you to lead us one more time. There are many who would gladly welcome your volunteer work, for they know that your generation made the accomplishments which gave us our world today.

Nine out of ten people will tell you that they love going or at least would love to go to Las Vegas, That one guy who didn’t  was probably caught counting cards and was told to never come back or else.  There is nothing I love more than a trip to Sin City, I hate to sound Cliché but “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”, you can be anyone you want to be and do anything you want. There are a lot of places in the world that tries to make their own version of Vegas, and though they come close, even to the point where they look, sound, and smell like Vegas, it could never be Vegas.

My ideal Vegas experience is a night of games, drinking, and if I get lucky a great experience to end the night, if you know what I mean. I don’t think there is any other place where a regular guy could change his luck for the better or worst while have a great, if not the best,  night of his life.  Vegas’ European counterpart seems to be more of a place where mostly only the wealthy goes to play; and its Asian counterpart are filled with straight faced people that almost doesn’t seem like they’re having fun. I am exaggerating of course, those places are a lot of fun too, but somehow Las Vegas is a whole different experience.

If you’re not into gambling, the best shows are in Vegas. From Magic shows that will leave you scratching your head thinking “how the hell did they do that”, to the most gorgeous  dancers that may have lucked out in the genetic lottery or had the best doctors in the world to get breast enhancement surgeries. For me it was hard to save the money necessary for the surgery working as an electrician.Whatever you are looking for to your dose of entertainment, there is no better place to see it other than Sin City itself.

Not into gambling or entertainment?  Then that probably means you’re absolutely no fun to hang out with! But there still might be something Vegas can offer you, and that is food, the best food in fact! It didn’t matter what kind; fine dining or a hotel buffet, everything tasted amazing no matter where I went! I even heard of a 3 star Michelin restaurant in the area, though I never went because it was out of my budget range.

No matter what you are looking for, Vegas is the place to be and will remain to be the Sin City everyone loves!