“There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed.” Albert Schweitzer.
“Success comes through serving others.” Jim Clemmer.
“You can get everything in life you want if you help enough people get what they want” Zig Ziglar.
This suite of comments all referencing the importance of service, were included in Ryan Holiday’s recently published fourth book in the Stoic Virtue series, Wisdom Takes Work. I am grateful for this flagging of the value of service, as opposed to ideology to support his premise that wisdom is gained by doing – and in this case, the doing involves service.
Coupling and contrasting ‘religion’ and ‘service’ as does Schweitzer, an early 20th Century French theologian, philosopher, physician and music scholar, is validating for me. Certainly, religion in our world in actual practice, can do a great disservice to the common good. (I am also cognizant of the great number of humans who practice their religion in a way that actively works for the common good). Service, which inherently looks outwardly to others, is the way of avoiding the exclusivity that religion can foster. Human service is just that; directed to all humans, regardless of race, colour, or creed. As Schweitzer states, it is ‘the greatest creed’.
The suggestion by Clemmer, the Canadian from the Clemmer Group, that ‘success comes through serving others’ introduces another dimension. This alludes to the paradox that ‘in giving we receive.’ Shifting our focus from inwardly looking to outwardly, is not only gratifying but leads to success in this view. Of course, our agreement is reliant upon our personal definition of success. Real success that comes in my view from living a values-aligned life, is attained through service. In focusing on the other, in being of benefit to the other, we allow ourselves to feel the joy of giving, to know that we are living in integrity.
The quirky statement by Zig Ziglar, from See You At the Top lightens the earnestness that may surround the notion of ‘service’. This lighter approach affords humour to enter the picture. Being playful about what we are doing facilitates the process. I love the disclaimer, which is implicit in the attitude, ‘I’m just giving people what they want.’ This ‘go lightly approach’ helps us not take ourselves too seriously, without diminishing the importance of a life of service, however.
In loving kindness,
Sue