The End of the Service Culture

Most cultures have a system of service hierarchies. For example, children should serve parents, students should serve teachers, citizens should serve the king, the protected should serve the protector, less educated should serve the more educated, employees should serve the supervisor, maids should serve the house owner, team mates should serve the captain, and of course, the general public should serve the priests, and everyone should serve God. The idea is quite ubiquitous.

In this system of service, everyone found themselves playing all three roles for a large part of their lives, if not always – of a junior, an equal, a superior. For example, at home, a typical family man was a son, a brother, and a father. At the workplace, you might report to someone, have equals, and supervise someone else. Even the head of state used to report to saintly priests, had other heads of states as friends, and ruled over his citizens. The beauty of this system was that everyone was aware of and very particular about their duties in all three roles. It was a system of duties, and not of rights.

However, as the modern civilization becomes more and more self-centered, lazy, and liberal, with the focus on just doing only whatever you wish to do, this system of service is crumbling. This system is founded on the exemplary behavior of the superiors. Those who were traditionally considered superior, no longer set high standards of behavior and sincerity. Influenced by the times, they have become too lazy, physically and mentally, to do the required hard work. “Why should I take the trouble just because I am senior? I should be allowed to do what I like to do.” In other words, “Why should I take my duty seriously? What about my rights?” Thus they are failing in their duties as seniors. As soon as this happens, the system crashes. If those we are supposed to look up to are corrupt, in the broadest sense of the word, then why should we take the trouble to execute our duties seriously?

As soon as the duty element goes away, the ego takes complete control. Then the only reason we do anything is because “it makes me feel good”. And that’s the end of the service culture which is defined by “whatever makes you feel good, because since you are superior, your pleasure is more important than mine.” 

Compassion, Camaraderie, Service

Compassion is for someone suffering or someone who is in a disadvantageous situation. Camaraderie is amongst those who are in similar situations or amongst equals. And service is to someone considered superior or respect worthy, or to some higher authority or ideal.

Compassion and camaraderie are very noble qualities indeed. They are high virtues exhibited by those who can empathize with others, and want to make someone else’s life a little better. But interestingly, neither of these two is service in the sense service is defined above.

Compassion and camaraderie typically don’t need one to consider the recipient as a superior; in fact they are typically done in the mood of helping out a needy person when one is in a superior or equivalent position.

This explains why helping the needy and doing activities together in groups is so popular, while serving superiors is not. Serving needs obedience, it needs one to compromise on one’s own preferences, it needs accepting someone else’s control on one’s life; in short it accepting someone or something else as superior to oneself.