So it has been a while since I have
written anything. I have been struggling lately with motivation and inspiration
to find the words to say and write. There are two more values that I haven’t
written about that are part of my core values. Those two values are Selfless
Service and Hard Work. One thing that I have been really struggling with and
thinking a lot about is the idea of Selfless service.
Service,
or doing works for others, has been a staple in my life ever since I was a kid
as my parents raised me to always lend a helping hand (or buck). Selfless
service goes way further than that. Being a selfless servant goes further than
just helping and giving to others. Someone who is able to lose him or herself
for them is a true selfless servant.
I
was just recently reading the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey and he was explaining three levels
of maturity. The first level of maturity is dependence. As a newborn we are
almost 100% dependent on others to do stuff for us. As we begin to grow and
learn we work towards becoming independent. This independence is the second
level that Covey mentions. In society today independence reigns supreme because
freedom is the form to our function. We as people want to have the freedom to
be completely independent. We want to think the way WE want, do what WE want,
and work in the ways that WE desire. This is what our society holds most dear
is the freedom to be completely independent from government, regulation, and
obligation.
I
have always known that there is more to life than this independence and
freedom. It is one reason that freedom has always seemed to me a selfish and
debilitating disease that plagues society. For maturity takes on another level,
which is the ultimate level of maturity, which Covey defines as
interdependence. This is where Selfless Service comes in to the picture.
Anyone
in life can function within their own liking and can become independent because
it is completely self-satisfying. Few people can really reach past that level
of selfish independent thinking and begin to act and function for the good of
themselves as well as others. Interdependence involves giving up personal and
individual freedoms and comforts to strive for a higher purpose bigger than any
one person could have independently. It is just a fact of life that people
working harmoniously as one will accomplish more than a person working alone.
To
be a selfless servant, someone with the value of selfless service, one must
first realize that there is purpose outside the individual. There is a higher
purpose, whether religious, spiritual, or even logically, there is always
something greater to strive for. Once someone understands this, that person
must lose himself or herself for that purpose. They must put away their selfish
ambition and give their whole being for the good of all.
As
humans we are all interdependent. We can accomplish things on our own, but true
greatness can only be attained through cooperation with others. This thought of
interdependence, selflessness and selfless service has been one that I’ve been
searching to understand since high school. Recently I was reading through an
old advanced composition (shout out Momma) journal and came across this
editorial about school spirit:
“Editorials
don’t always have to be negative, but it is not possible to write about school
spirit at SFS without being negative. Its sad when all you ask people to do is
wear school colors for one day and not even half the kids in the school are
wearing the. I didn’t think it was possible to have a louder crowd for the
opposing team at a home game until I made one of SFS’s sports teams in the 9th
grade. So what is wrong with our school? Is our mascot stupid? Do our teams
that are top of the league every year suck? Is it too hard to read the words to
the school fight song on a 10-foot piece of paper? The answer to all of these
questions is no. The problem is in the minds of the students. Why cant they put
away their pride for a second and not act cool for a second and cheer for
something that is bigger than themselves? Maybe its just that we don’t think
there is anything bigger than ourselves.”
So I know that that little passage
was somewhat of a disgruntled high school athlete ranting, but in some ways I
can see myself really questioning the idea of selflessness. Selfless service
would include going to a sports event or art show or concert even if you don’t
enjoy it because you want to support your peers. Selfless service would be not
caring about what others think about you to sing the national anthem, sing in
church or sing a teams fight song to increase the spirit and morale of all of
those around you. Even in the small things in life, losing your own pride and
interests to uplift the spirit and success of everybody is how you become a
selfless servant.
It is
my encouragement to everyone to lose yourself. Serve your family, your
community, your society, your country, your race, your religion, and every
other aspect of your life that defines your own personal success, but also the
greatness of the world, and serve them selflessly. Serve them not because you
are obliged but because as the world changes, so will you. Be selfishly
selfless, and together we can change the world!
Mrs. Song is my role model of selfless service. The world is a better place to have this beautiful woman in it.
