When We're Doing Well: Why Helping Matters — Even Here in Mallorca

When We're Doing Well: Why Helping Matters — Even Here in Mallorca

About small acts, real time and a concert in Llucmajor

I often walk along the Passeig Mallorca — Homelessness on Paseo Mallorca: When the Park Bench Becomes the Final Address — when the afternoon slowly cools and vendors begin to pack up their stalls. Then I hear the tram in the distance; the rattling mixes with the laughter of people leaving the office. Such scenes remind me: many things we take for granted are gifts — a roof over our heads, enough to eat, people who call.

The world regularly gives us images that show the opposite. In Nepal, flash floods recently swept away lives and villages. These reports shake us briefly. But they must not only make us furrow our brows for a moment and then carry on. Helping can have a permanent place in our everyday lives — not only as a big project, but as a small, steady commitment.

In Germany many people volunteer: almost 27 million volunteers, and private donations amounted to around 4.65 billion euros last year. Only 24 percent of the population donated, but the average single donation rose to 46 euros. Numbers are dry, but they show how many different people contribute — and how much impact small actions can have.

On Mallorca this looks concrete: the herztat foundation supports German-speaking seniors. More than 60 volunteers visit people, talk, go for walks or run simple errands. And then there are animal rescuers like Gaticos y Perretes in Llucmajor, who care for cat colonies, have animals neutered and treat sick animals. These are not big headlines, but they change everyday situations.

Psychologists have studied how helping reflects back on us: in a large review of about 201 studies and almost 200,000 participants, prosocial behavior was found to particularly strengthen the feeling that one's life has meaning. It's not a promise of lasting bliss, but it's tangible: those who pitch in feel more effective.

This also has to do with perspective. We look less at what we lack and more at what we can give. Sometimes that's money, sometimes time, sometimes simply two strong hands or the ability to make contacts. On a small village car park in Llucmajor — At the Finca near Llucmajor: How Talia Is Putting Down New Roots in Mallorca — such an encounter can begin, while shopping or at a volunteer meet-up in a bar, where someone says: "I have time on Tuesday."

A concrete example: on September 12 a benefit concert will take place at the Claustre de Sant Bonaventura in Llucmajor. Blues musician Hans Theessink will perform, and the proceeds will go to herztat and Gaticos y Perretes. Evenings like this bring people together: musicians, volunteers at the ticket desk, hosts and visitors who directly support with their ticket. Small contributions add up.

If you think of volunteering as something too big, it blocks you. Many believe you need an office or a lot of time to make a difference. Often a decision is enough: visit the nursing home once a week, donate a bag of groceries, feed cats for a morning. From many small decisions comes impact. That is the quiet triumph of everyday help.

I think helping can also honestly admit that it gives something to the helper: meaning, connection, sometimes new friendships. Those who live on Mallorca notice this quickly — at a coffee after a joint beach cleanup, on a walk with a senior through the old town, or when looking at a calmer-looking cat colony after a neutering campaign.

My suggestion: the next time you wonder whether you can do something, think of the word "a little." A little time, a little money, a little attention. Often that's enough. And it changes something right on our doorstep. Those who start quickly notice: helping is not only good for others. It frees up space inside us, gives the feeling that we can make a difference — and that is a precious feeling in unsettled times.

If you are looking for opportunities in Llucmajor or Palma — When Work Isn't Enough: Palma and the Growing Number of Homeless People — look for the herztat group, ask Gaticos y Perretes, or come to the Claustre on September 12. You don't have to start big. You just have to start.

Info box: Benefit concert on September 12, Claustre de Sant Bonaventura, Llucmajor. With Hans Theessink. Proceeds to herztat and Gaticos y Perretes.