Sign Up To Be A New Happy Helper!
The New Happy Helpers are a group of people who share their skills, strengths, and passions to help others. To navigate the coronavirus pandemic, we need to come together to support one another. The New Happy Helpers offers you a way to help someone in a meaningful way from the safety of your home.
WHY?
I read this amazing piece in the Guardian this week, telling the story of the ‘real-life Lord of the Flies’. When I read the book in high school, I was utterly horrified by basically… everything about it, particularly the utterly bleak view of humanity that permeates every chapter.
In the real world, in the 1960s, six boys from Tonga became marooned on the abandoned island of ‘Ata, which, as seen on Google Maps, is a tiny speck of land in the middle of the vast ocean. Sick of the strict rules of their boarding school, they schemed to escape to Fiji — unfortunately, they all fell asleep while sailing, waking to a broken sail and rudder. They were left adrift for days with no food and no water, until on the 8th day, they spotted a small island: ‘Ata. There they lived for fifteen months, creating a supportive, sustainable community that included a “mall commune with food garden, hollowed-out tree trunks to store rainwater, a gymnasium with curious weights, a badminton court, chicken pens, and a permanent fire” that they never let go out. An Australian sea captain, Peter Warner, miraculously came across them fifteen months later, and rescued them.
Unlike in the Lord of the Flies, these children did not fall prey to our basest, darkest impulses. Instead, they supported one another. They took care of one another. They built a community that sustained all of them, and because of that, they were able to survive.
On the first page of Peter Warner’s memoir, he wrote: “Life has taught me a great deal, including the lesson that you should always look for what is good and positive in people.”
Contrary to what the media and Lord of the Flies tell us, studies show that people become more altruistic after disasters. The University of Delaware has conducted hundreds of studies on the aftermath of natural disasters, and repeatedly come to the same conclusion: in a disaster, the vast majority of people stay calm, take care of one another in remarkable ways, and give selflessly to others.
It’s so important that we learn the truth of this myth, because our belief in a community’s selfishness or selflessness influences our own behaviors. For example, when visitors to a national park were told that the forest was endangered because other people were stealing wood, they also ended up stealing wood. But when they were told that other visitors were leaving the wood untouched, they too did the same.
Let’s believe in our goodness — and then, let’s make the goodness real.
If you’ve been wondering how you can give back during the pandemic, this is your chance to contribute.
If you’re struggling with something, this is your chance to ask for some support.
All you need to do is answer two questions in this Google Form (or email me directly by hitting reply to this newsletter) with either:
A way you can help someone using a skill, strength, or passion
Something you need help with
Or, both!
Then, I’ll play matchmaker, connecting people with the help they need. If there’s no match, I’ll help you or personally find someone who can.
There are hundreds and hundreds of people in our New Happy community. If each of us shared one or two small ways we can help others, we could make a tremendous impact on the world. Will you join me?
FAQs
What should I offer?
This is a place to offer your strengths, skills, or passions. It is not a place to offer donations (there are hundreds of organizations who are better equipped to support with that!) The best thing to offer is something that you are good at and/or that you enjoy helping with.
How will you match me with someone?
We will look through the requests and offers and match you with someone, connecting you via email or your preferred method of communication.
How will you ensure my privacy?
We will only share your contact information with the person who we match you with for help.
How can I help?
Share this page with your loved ones!
I have another question.
Email me at stephanie@thenewhappy.com.
How can I get more New Happy in my life?
Sign up for our community below. We’ll be thrilled to have you!