Culture of Service
A part of what used to be called American culture was the idea of providing service to others. Picking up the hitchhiker, stopping to render aid to a stranded motorist, watching over your neighborhood with a concern for your neighbor’s property as well as your own are just a few of the countless examples I could site. Although some of the things would be unheard of today, it is still in our nature to provide assistance. I believe there is still an element of this left in many of us. If you have ever tried to convince someone of something solely for their own good when you had nothing to gain then you too have tried to do them a service. So what has changed? Is it a fear of strangers that has taken hold or has society itself changed?
Under the auspices of fostering goodwill, America has extended a hand and given away technology to much of the world. Some of that has come back to bite us.
Some of us feel a strong desire need to serve our fellow man even at great personal cost; to make their lives better has the effect of enriching our life. It is said that the founding fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes and their posterity. Not many will live up to that standard but some will and others may come close. It could be as simple as the guy who in friendship and without payment mows the lawn of an elderly neighbor. A more lofty aspiration may be to provide a service to others by promoting a set of ideals. Whether you are the guy hosting the livestream or the guy reposting it so that more people have access you are serving others.
In the climate of endless, petty, CIA orchestrated skirmishes over oil, drugs, status, and power, military service to your country is probably off the table for any thinking person whom wishes to stand on principle. There are many other ways to be of service. If you have no lofty goals, I suggest aiming small; maybe within your family or neighborhood.
Whether it’s your community, your family, or your tribe choose the one that’s right for you and do it a service every day.