You came here searching for a “helping synonym,” and we are glad to welcome you to our Synonym Series. In this blog series, we discuss synonyms of various words, extracting their philosophical meaning without picking straight from the dictionary. Today’s article, as already noted, will discuss helping synonyms.
“Helping” conjures up images of assisting others. A synonym that comes to mind is being present. Sometimes people cannot be immediately helped, or it is simply not in our powers to provide them with all they need. Still, everyone needs a listener to, at least, for example, hear their story and get advice if such can be offered. So, helping can be synonymous with being present. Be present for the person here and now; hear their story, and do not judge.
Yes, one may encounter stories that are simply too hard not to judge. Yet, that is not the point of helping. Helping does not mean judging who was right and who was wrong. Instead, it is listening and lending a hand to the other person to get out of the situation.
Sometimes, of course, we cannot get people out of the circumstances they have found themselves in. That doesn’t mean we can’t aid in the situation. And here comes another synonym of helping: be an example.
When we provide an example of how a person can behave, act, and respond to various situations, we are helping plenty of people out there, even if we do not know them. By being brave, not succumbing to indifference towards suffering, not merely sliding on the waves of life but taking the wheel and steering it in the right direction, we’re inspiring others. Others will notice! If there comes a time when they are lost, they may remember how you have handled such circumstances. Voilà. Without even knowing, you aided those people, helping them live better lives.
Another helping synonym is making your voice heard. I don’t mean this to promote pointless arguing at times when you want to put your foot down. No, one needs to make their voice heard when there is injustice. In such cases, many people will remain silent. But to speak up is to help. Speaking up is also useful (another topic we discuss in this series).
And let us also see helping as a quality that a person possesses. Here a synonym that can aid us in our understanding is loving.
Loving a person for who they are provides a path towards a better way of life; you are helping them become a better version of themselves. We believe to act is one of the best synonyms of helping.
Most of the time, if you wish to help, you need to do something about it. It does not need to be a grand gesture; helping actions come in big and small sizes. Dropping off your old clothes or kid’s toys in a neighborhood donation bin and offering food to the homeless are forms of active helping. Buying something from a company that donates some of their profits to charity (like we do!) is also a form of helping.
Those actions might be considered “smaller,” but if everyone makes a small gesture, the world will be filled with more happiness.
When we help each other, we can change the future.
Do not listen to those out there who say one person cannot change the world. One person can – even though it is challenging. What they need to do is take it one good deed at a time, and before they know it, they may have changed the world for one other person. That’s still somebody’s world.
There is also the notion of paying it forward: if we receive help, we can also offer support to somebody else. And if we provide service, the next person may do so as well, and so on. I think of it as an avalanche effect. An avalanche can start with a simple snowball, growing to a massive burst of snow that clears its way forward.
So, paying it forward is a helping synonym.
Yet another one is becoming a better person. By helping yourself, you’re making yourself better, and by making yourself better, you’re helping yourself. That creates a cycle. And when you enter that cycle – when you allow yourself to become a wonderful person – you will also aid others. When you are stuck in a dark and scary place, that does not allow you to achieve your full potential. And that does not let you give the best you can to the world. When you help yourself get out of nasty situations, you will develop as a human being. Plus, you’ll be able to be that helping person who aids others along their journies.
And that is our goal at The Happiness of Knowledge: to help people on their path towards a happier, more fulfilled, more compassionate way of life.
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