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Connor Stevenson
Professor Green
EXPL 292
28 January 2016
Reflection A: What We Dont Talk About When We Dont Talk About Service Adam, Davis
At the end of the day its not about what you have or even what youve accomplished...
It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back
(Washington, Denzel). Similar to Denzel Washingtons quote about giving, growing up as kid in
a Lutheran family, I have always been taught that giving back is an important part of receiving.
In my past experiences with service I truly believe it has made me a better person. There are
many inequalities that exist between individuals in the world we live in; this is where the
importance of service comes in and begins to bridge the gap between these individuals.
Giving back to others can vary, whether you go to the extreme of serving less fortunate
individuals that in result makes an impact in their life or even if it its just volunteering within
your community. Service is important to me because I have always been taught by my parents
and I feel as if it makes me a happier person in result. My most memorable experience with
service is having the opportunity to volunteer for the Sanneh Foundation; a foundation that takes
pride in the betterment of underprivileged kids through teaching them the beautiful game of
soccer. I was impacted by this experience because you are given this opportunity to create a
relationship with these kids and slowly you begin to understand where they are coming from and
what goes on around them to shape their being. Giving these kids a safe place to go and enjoy
their day while putting aside the troubles they may be dealing with at home makes me feel as if
Im doing the right thing. When giving back, I believe an important part is being able to connect

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with the individuals youre serving in order to benefit not only the individual but yourself as
well. Another service project I have been involved in is starting a club with some friends at my
high school where we focused on spreading the mission of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH).
NPH is a foundation that cares for orphaned children in 3rd world countries by providing them
shelter, food, and all the essentials for a better life. Our club focused on spreading good fortune
by fundraising for the orphanages and most importantly organizing mission trips to go
experience the importance of service. Additionally while being a student of Loyola and a
member of the mens soccer team, I had the opportunity to visit the Misericordia Home where
they house adults with disabilities and provide them with a chance to work. This experience was
moving because it was amazing to see how they were so content with what they have and also
how excited they were to spend time with me. Throughout the service I have previously been
involved in its important to me as a Jesuit educated student, to take part in service, as I believe it
apart of our mission while here at Loyola.
In What We Dont Talk About When We Dont Talk About Service, Davis addresses
service covering the goodness that is involved in service, what we do and dont talk about, the
inequality thats involved, and explaining why service is not simple. When Davis first addresses
service, he says that talking about service might be a problem within itself. He clarifies this by
saying if youre talking about service, then youre not doing. What is service? Service is
generally stated in our society as doing something that helps the betterment of both the served
and the server. One of Daviss main points about service is why do we serve? There are many
different reasons people will advocate for why the serve. Many individuals will say that they
serve because they love God and we are all children of God. Whether or not you are a believer in
God, we are all children of the earth and we all share this beautiful world we live in.

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Additionally, many people will say they serve because they can identify the pain they see others
in, so they want to step into their shoes in order to make a positive impact in their life. Other
individuals, including myself, believe we serve because it makes a positive influence in our own
lives because we can be grateful for what we have. But Davis asks us why we dont talk about
service? He says we dont talk about service because it touches on areas that we are not
comfortable because of the inequality of individuals that is involved with service.
The issues that Adam Davis addresses in this article make service complicated because
not all types of service have a positive result. What Davis states about the goodness of service by
saying service doesnt always have a positive external result for both the served and the server, in
some cases maybe only one party receives a positive result from the service. We cant become
blind to the complexity of service and if we become blind then we risk the chance of losing the
goodness that comes with service. Service is not commonly talked about because we are given
this notion that all men are created equally, but we know this not to be true. In result to this we
know that inequalities exist throughout the world and we are hesitant to address them because in
many situations it is difficult to talk about. Inequality is difficult to talk about because in many
ways its desired. With all of the different issues that Davis speaks to in this article all come back
to us being consciously aware that service is not simple and we risk turning it bad if we believe it
is.
In conclusion, throughout the world people can agree that service has a positive effect but
we need to understand that we cant become blindsided to the fact it isnt simple. I and many
other people have had positive outcomes from serving but I know all too well that service is a
touchy subject and difficult to discuss because we are saddened by the inequalities that exist. If

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we become aware of the issues that are addressed in service we can make sure we maintain the
goodness that is intended while serving others.