Throughout high school and college, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent volunteering. Seeing the gratitude on the people’s faces that I was helping and feeling the energy of giving from the environment and others around me always generated an unmatched feeling inside me. For the past week or so, I have been trying my best to reignite the love of service that used to burn so brightly within me, and it has been amazing. I only had time to volunteer twice but both experiences were incredible and reminded me why I loved it so much when I was younger. I explored what Service means to me and I hope you enjoy reading what I discovered.
Volunteer Events
The first event involved working through an organization named Gustavia Pearls Women’s Outreach where I helped organize and distribute Thanksgiving meals and donated items. I got to meet and work with so many amazing people. The woman in charge of the event, Trina, was a joy to get to know throughout the event and her passion for helping others radiated through her actions and words.
The second organization I had the opportunity to volunteer for was called Books for Development. Their mission is to end the book famine in developing countries by gathering books, sorting them, and sending them abroad to establish libraries. I helped sort and pack books for projects going all around the world. I also greatly enjoyed meeting the founder, Mark, and learning about his experiences and why he started this organization.
Formal Definition
- contribution to the welfare of others
- An act of assistance or benefit; a favor
Origin
service (n.1) c. 1100, “celebration of public worship,” from Old French servise “act of homage; servitude; service at table; Mass, church ceremony,” from Latin servitium “slavery, condition of a slave, servitude,” also “slaves collectively,” from servus “slave” (see serve (v.)).
service (v.) 1893, “to provide with service,” from service (n.1). Meaning “perform work on” first recorded 1926. Related: Serviced; servicing.
serve (v.) late 12c., “to render habitual obedience to,” also “minister, give aid, give help,” from Old French servir “to do duty toward, show devotion to; set table, serve at table; offer, provide with,” from Latin servire “be a servant, be in service, be enslaved;” figuratively “be devoted; be governed by; comply with; conform; flatter,” originally “be a slave,” related to servus “slave,” which is of uncertain origin.
servient (adj.) 1640s, from Latin servientem “subordinate,” present participle of servire “be a servant, be a slave” (see serve (v.)).
Personal Definition
I found that service has many more definitions than I was aware existed. One site had eleven different entries listed. I will be exploring the definition involving a contribution to the welfare of others. In my mind, service can be done in a nearly endless amount of ways but there is an underlying commonality that I believe is the essence of what defines an act of service. The intention behind the act. I believe love and motivation from the heart are what create a true act of Service.
Service: Actions taken that benefit others and are motivated solely by the desire to spread love.
Quotes
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
-Rabindranath Tagore
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
Symbol
I chose to use a heart as the central symbol because Service comes from a place of love. There is a part of the heart leaving to show how Service involves giving a piece of yourself to others, however, the hole is quickly filled when your actions are received and reciprocated by others.
Poem
“Service”
I’ll give you my time,
I’ll give you my energy,
I’ll give you my dime,
You can have all of me.
Here to serve, with every nerve,
Motivations pure, intentions secure,
From the heart, it does start,
Helping all, big and small.
I’ll give you my time,
I’ll give you my energy,
I’ll give you my dime,
You can have all of me.
Painting
The painting above represents what Service means to me. Depicted in it is a human with parts of him drifting away, originating from the heart, symbolizing how Service is rooted in giving a part of yourself to others. The four parts that drift away spell LOVE, this is meant to convey that the underlying motivation in acts of Service should come from a place of love and have no ulterior motives.
Questions and Answers
Why is this a value you want to instill in your life?
I strongly believe that we feel the most fulfilled as humans when we are acting in service of others. I want helping and uplifting others to be at the core of who I am. Service is the ideal value for making this a reality. Jay Shetty, someone I greatly admire and have learned so much from, believes we are all wired for service and it is integral in finding our purpose in life. I strongly agree with him and know that this is one of the most important ideals to maintain in my life.
What activities bring out this value?
The most obvious activity is any sort of volunteer work, where one is giving others their time and energy with no motivation other than to help their fellow beings. There are, however, so many other activities one can engage in to be of service to others. Some include small acts of kindness for strangers, helping friends in their time of need, or uplifting someone’s mood with a warm, light-hearted joke.
How would the world be different if more people identified more with this ideal?
The results would be incredible. People would more readily think of others over themselves and engage in acts of service more frequently. This would make those receiving the acts of service more grateful and at peace and those doing them more fulfilled and also at peace. Overall, there would be more opportunities for people to generate positive energy and share it with the world.
What image comes to mind when visualizing this ideal?
I see a bright white light emitting from the heart spreading to others. I also see examples of service through sacrificing one’s own well-being for the welfare of others.
How can people who want to do this first take steps to include it in their daily routine more?
One thing I do personally that has been helpful in orienting my actions to being of service to others is writing down one thing every night when I journal that I did for someone purely to help or uplift them. At first, it was very much “I need to do something so I will have something to write when I journal tonight” but as I built the habit of always being on the lookout for opportunities to offer my service, I began to have so many acts to choose from as I reviewed my day while journaling.
If you have any other questions you think would aid in the understanding and development of future ideals, please leave a comment below!
Songs
The following playlist is the beginning of my collection of songs that I believe embody Service:
If you have any other songs you think would fit in the playlist, please leave a comment down below letting me know!
Next Value: Moderation
Having moderation, very similar to having balance, is something I have never been great at. I can have an obsessive personality and can get consumed by different things in my life. Moderation is such an important part of a healthy life and having even a little can help so much in the long run. I look forward to cultivating a higher degree of moderation and creating more balance in my life.
Make Today Your Best Day Yet!
“Life is a series of fresh starts, the frequency of use is up to the individual”
~Zak Keller aka amusingmonk~
Amusing Monk 