Service

Yesterday being Presidents' Day, I took a little time to reflect on some of our nation's past leaders. Which presidents do you think of first and why? Is it their politics, their style, their scandals, or their service to our country which stand out? Unfortunately, I think the first three are more common these days.

Not many would find fault with George Washington, though I'm sure he had a few detractors in his day. Kennedy is easier to criticize. Having been elected during the dawning of the age of television, his affairs, both presidential and private, were more open to the public eye. Both had some noteworthy things to say regarding service, however.

"I have no other view than to promote the public good, and am unambitious of honors not founded in the approbation of my Country."
George Washington

This quote from Kennedy's inaugural address is likely more familiar:
"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

I rather like the lines that follow as well. You can find the entire speech here.

Did you know that Washington and Kennedy are also the only two to refuse a presidential salary? Some might argue that Kennedy hardly needed it, but few who are able to campaign for and win the nation's highest office are lacking financially.

George Washington said, “As to pay, Sir, I beg leave to assure the Congress that as no pecuniary consideration could have tempted me to accept this arduous employment at the expense of my domestic ease and happiness, I do not wish to make any profit from it.” Washington fully recognized the difficulty of the job before him, and it was only love and service which persuaded him to undertake such a task, not fame or fortune or future book deals.

Why have we seen such a rise in politicians and a decline in true public servants? Why do so many seem to be in the business of governing our country for the purpose of lining their own pockets? Then again, can we expect any more of our elected officials than the people who elect them? Perhaps the problem does not lie in Washington or Hollywood or all the big name, big money places but in each of us from Smallville to Gotham.

Readers seeking to identify the...people and places here described would do better to inspect their own communities and search their own hearts, for this...is about a large part of America today.

Truly, there does seem to be an overall movement away from service. The word, the very idea, of service is despised and rejected. A college education is highly prized because it is the means of putting us or our children above tasks we have deemed menial and places us beyond serving. Some degree programs do prepare students for careers in service, but even among these, money, power, or status can be motivators. (God bless you, teachers. I think this is less often the case for you.)

We live in the age of me, of I, of self. Ayn Rand would be proud that her Anthem is so widely sung. Millions who have never read it have picked up the tune and adopted it as their own.

The individual is all important, and it has come at the expense of the family and the community. Why take the time to know our neighbors? They have their pursuits and we have ours. It's easier not to become too entangled in the affairs of others if we maintain a cold and (we convince ourselves) polite distance.

What has this way of living brought us? Our houses are full of material wealth and goods, but we are empty. Each new toy, each new experience, each status indicator, each accolade only leaves us feeling more desolate and dissatisfied. The top can never be reached because there will always be something beyond. Each rung we climb on the ladder only gives us further to fall. We are discontent in our prosperity, sullen in success. Setting out to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, we did not understand what those blessings were, and we have sold our souls instead.

Once again we've fallen prey to pendulum thinking. Today public opinion sways in favor of the individual; tomorrow it may swing to the other side where the individual is obliterated. I want to bring that pendulum to rest and walk the narrow path in the middle. I want to go back to what some of our former leaders understood, that a leader must first be a servant. I want to live as Galtians 5 exhorts us: by love serve one another. If Jesus Christ took upon him the form of a servant, why should we be ashamed to live a life of service?

This week and in the weeks to come, I'd like to explore the concept of service on this little blog. I'll be posting videos, links, and other things that I find inspiring. I'll also be doing some private examination and challenging myself to find more ways to serve. Won't you join me? Maybe together we can start a trend. Please let me know if you find opportunities for service, write a post about it, or find links that will encourage others, and I will be sure to link to them.

Love cannot remain by itself -- it has no meaning.
Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.
Mother Teresa