The Symbiosis of Service

A parasitic relationship demonstrates one benefiting while the other is harmed. This is best exemplified when someone creates a problematic mindset while serving, meaning the community may benefit from a person’s service, but a person harms their own mental health and well-being  in the process.  

A commensalistic relationship is where one benefits while the other remains untouched. This occurs when a person participates to help the community because they are inclined to do so, but the person does not build a personal reason or connection for serving.

Easily, the best possible option is mutualism! A mutualistic relationship occurs when both involved parties benefit from the interaction. Every person serving their community should seek to find a mutualistic relationship with their community. They should find something they personally believe should be changed and take initiative/assertiveness to be the difference. When a student goes out of their way to serve others, they get personal benefits: from improved well-being of life, improved mental health, building friendships, etc. Additionally, it allows great opportunities to build stronger leadership, communication, accountability, and proper project management skills. Promoting this means that the community is also positively impacted –through this sort of relationship– because of the student’s desire to create lasting change. 

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Educating high school and college students on the importance of volunteerism, but more so a healthy and mutualistic relationship, can help in more ways than one. These students receive the most incentives and have autonomy and resources to take action. Especially in means of receptiveness, they are able to correlate the teachings of their (required) biology courses to this effective example. Finding my own mutualistic relationship with service is what helped me through the most challenging years of my life, and allowed me to create meaningful projects for my community. In advocating for mutualism,  I seek to showcase how it is a great mental health booster and positive, reliant outlet.