This I Believe - 2010

Friday, January 1, 2010
I believe in service.

I was raised in a family with a tradition of service, in every sense of the word. Before his death, my father served in the United States Marine Corps and in law enforcement, and donated thousands of volunteer hours to the various youth groups to which I belonged. My mother has donated tens of thousands of hours to youth groups, ESL programs, senior computer literacy, and dozens of others community groups, and continues to do so. They raised me to serve others, and started me at an early age, working in various youth groups to serve underprivileged children. I was encouraged to pay for my patch of earth in the only coin that mattered - helping and serving others who needed it.

As I grew older, I had to determine the value of service for myself. As a young woman, I assumed that service to others meant making a large difference in the world. That if I didn't shape my life to touch thousands of people, then my service would not have value.

Now, at a midpoint in my life, I believe that when I serve others, I serve myself. The number of people I serve does not govern the value of my contribution. Instead, giving my time and effort to others, no matter how few, makes my influence on the world larger, and gives my life greater value. I cannot imagine a worse fate than that of reaching the end of my life and realizing that I have had no positive impact, no influence on those I leave behind, whether that's one or one thousand.

I believe to ask whether or not others "deserve" my service is to miss the point of serving. My decision to serve others is not predicated on whether or not the person served shares my worldview, or my religious beliefs, or my politics. Because service is its own reward, the decision to serve is a gift I give myself, in the form of the satisfaction of knowing the world is a slightly better place for my having been here.

I believe service can come in many forms, and it's not my place to judge the value of someone else's contribution. A single parent working to support their family, struggling to break the cycle of poverty, makes a far greater contribution to our society than my meager contributions. Because things are never as simple as they appear, I believe my service should be given without judgment, as I never know when I will be the one who needs the service of others.

I'm not always successful in living this belief. There are times when I feel too selfish, too overwhelmed by life, too isolated to serve others in the way they need and deserve. What this failure has taught me is that sometimes, it's okay to serve myself, in order to ensure I have what it takes to serve others in the future. And sometimes, I just need to pull myself up by the bootstraps and do what I need to do, because I won't get another chance.

I freely admit and embrace my ignorance about what will happen to the unique essence that is "me" when I die. Because of this, I try to serve others in this life so that when I'm gone, my influence will live on. If I serve others now, perhaps they will, in turn, serve still more people when they're able. I believe that in the act of serving others, I ensure my immortality.

2 comments:

mom in northern said...

It is called paying it forward. And you are very good at it.

Anne C. said...

I know one thing for sure: You inspire me, Janiece, to look for service opportunities. Thank you.