When a volunteer enters a Penitentiary Center for the first time, in the Penitentiary Module of a Hospital, in a plant with serious patients or a Center by day for majors with dementia, it is normal that he undergoes an emotional impact. He is something new and outside the normality concept to which we are customary. In few days, this impact will be cushioned by the custom and will happen to be part of our new scheme of normality. If this does not take place and the impact it continues we will live our voluntary military service as a estresante situation and is worth the trouble to reframe itself why it happens. The best thing will be to speak with the person in charge of the service and to think if it is due to change of voluntary military service. Another important emotional aspect talks about to the common confusion between voluntary military service and other forms of sentimental relation. The volunteer does not have why to be friend of the beneficiary. This affirmation so politically incorrect and so uncomfortable to realise is very necessary at many moments.
It is clear that the relation between volunteer and beneficiary can change. Why voluntary military service cannot be the beginning of a friendship? Why cannot be produced a sentimental connection beyond the voluntary action? He prevents it to nobody, but the volunteer must know that change has taken place and that the rules of the game change. In the daily life a labor relation, for example, can lead towards an engagement, but the implied ones must know that when is discussed by the pay or the schedule it is not necessary to mix loving jealousy nor sentimental questions. The voluntary military service is a thing and the friendship is another one. The volunteer does not have either to show to pity nor pain by the beneficiary. It must be placed in an equality plane and this supposes in many occasions to be firm and to know how to say that no. To show pity is not good a revulsive one for the beneficiary of a voluntary military service program.
On the other hand, to be firm and to say that to anybody in many occasions it does not mean to demonstrate to him that you consider adult, intelligent and preparation to him to assume this answer. Condescender always to everything is not positive. All this fits without contradiction some in a respect and amiability climate. In anyone of cases, if the implication takes beyond a logical point, the continuity of the service can be seen affected and what tries to be a responsible commitment becomes a load that, taking advantage of any excuse, many volunteers will loosen immediately. Or they will confuse the norms of the voluntary military service with those of another activity that is in force by different parameters. It is necessary to put limits to avoid that the excessive implication, in anyone of the spoken senses, does not harm the continuity of the voluntary action and does not leave in the volunteer the sensation of frustration, deception or impotence.