Thin notions of volunteerism are about “feeling good” by “giving back.”

I would argue that we need to feel more of the feelings that are labeled negative, like grief, sadness, anger, rage, and despair. ...

Many of us feel so overwhelmed that we can’t imagine how we would begin to do anything effective. It can feel like the safest bet is to not even try. Or it can feel like we should go with a prescribed recipe for participating in charity or social services—volunteering at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, or attending one march or rally a year. Often these are efforts to quell the guilt and concern that plague us, rather than providing real opportunities for connection where we feel