The 2018 Marvel film Black Panther quickly became a pop culture sensation and wowed many worldwide. The movie spent no time building a loyal fan base and impacting viewers across the globe. What became so brilliant about Black Panther is it forced an entire generation to challenge its perceptions and question traditional viewpoints. The core conflict in the film alone made us all stop and think.
Wakanda, a fictional African country, for centuries uses vibranium to develop advanced technology to enrich and aid its own people while isolating the nation from the rest of the world by posing as a Third World country. The villain, Erik Stevens, found the action of Wakanda selfish and self-serving. A nation with the power to change and better lives hoard their knowledge and resources while standing back, watching the world around them suffer and even die. Stevens spent his life dedicated to changing this (he went about doing it the wrong way).
Though Stevens created a Wakandan civil war, his reason for doing so changed the heart of the nation’s King T’Challa. The movie ends with King T’Challa revealing to the United Nations the intellect and abundance of resources Wakanda has to share with the world.
At the POCUS Certification Academy™, we work with superheroes like the king of this film every day. Those whose passion and care for others motivate and drive them to come out of hiding and visibly share themselves with peers who need what they have. They are better known as our amazing volunteers! We had the opportunity to sit down and talk in-depth with one of our heroes, Dr. James A. DellaValle, MD, on our Focus on POCUS™ podcast, The Volunteer Experience episode.
In this episode, Dr. DellaValle leaves us with a final thought that challenges us. We all possess experiences, knowledge, or gifts that are one of a kind and unique. Each of us has skill sets unlike no one else, and like Stevens in the Black Panther film, Dr. DellaValle encourages our medical community to share it. “Don’t hide it. Don’t lock it in a basket,” reiterate Dr. DellaVelle.
This adage is the very essence of volunteering. When our healthcare community gives of its time to share our passions and pass down our knowledge, we increase access. When we look back on our own medical journeys, we’ll find markers upon it filled with someone volunteering their time on our behalf. Without their sacrifice and willingness to give, we may not be where we are today.
Sit back and imagine a society where every single individual decides to keep to themselves their gifting and knowledge—no one willing to teach or share with the next generation. Every man for himself and only the strongest survives. Dr. DellaVelle asks us all to close our eyes and picture this kind of world. Can you see it? Is it becoming clear as to what it would be like? “Society goes into the dark ages,” describes Dr. DellaVelle.
When we each decide to give and become less concerned about what we receive, everyone wins. This is the power that volunteering holds—the ability to move society into an illuminating brightness and light that we have yet to experience.
Still on the fence about volunteering? Here’s a final word from our superhero. “We need you. We have been looking for you. We need your enthusiasm to work with all of us to do better and make things safer.”
Don’t miss this inspiring episode. Listen in on the full conversation. Also, visit our website to learn more about the volunteer opportunities that await you.
The last reminder from Dr. DellaVelle, “You will always get back more than you give!”
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