What it takes to be A Useful Member of the Society?

Human nature is such that we all like getting more and more, but giving away less or nothing at all! We hoard a lot of things – money, fame, knowledge, benefits, and even food and water sometimes! The problem with this habit of hoarding is that it creates a division in the society that is very harmful for the deprived. It is a sad but true fact that in today’s world, it’s mostly the rich who get richer, and the poor only seem to be getting poorer.

We have all read about the “vicious lifecycle” that farmers in India lead. Some farmers are so unfortunate that even before they are born, they end up with a pile of debt that they are responsible for! How, you wonder? It is quite possible that their father or immediate ancestors had borrowed money from landlords, banks, or lenders and as a guarantee, they vowed that should they fail to repay the lenders themselves, they would ensure their offspring would take care of it. One way or another, the lenders were assured their money back. Thanks to the unpredictability of weather and the poor-quality seeds that our farmers are given, many farmers fail to harvest good crops and thus, they can’t repay the money they borrowed. This debt then passes on to their children, who in turn may face the same problem and the cycle of debt and repayment just goes on and on.

Another popular example of the rich getting richer can be seen in the high subsidies and tax benefits the rich people get. Recently elected President of the United States has been accused of cutting the funds for several welfare, abortion-related, and environmental programs only to channel them into unnecessary projects such as the building of a wall between USA and Mexico, and to help large corporations cover their debt or in the form of subsidies!

The Ideal Situation

The head of any country is elected to serve the nation. But it’s not just people holding important positions who should serve the country or the society. Each one of us has a responsibility towards the other members of our society as fellow human beings. The ideal situation that could prevail in the world is that all of us realise this fact on our own, and we implement acts which can convert this ideal situation from a mere concept into reality.

We have various sciences, forms of art, and math drilled into us in school, but equal or no importance is given to the teachings necessary to teach a child to grow into a good adult. An ideal situation of all peacefully co-existing in the world would only be possible if emphasis is also placed on teaching children to be better people, right from the beginning.

In order to initiate this concept in the society, there is one important things that all of us must possess, and which is the core topic of this blog – the willingness to serve.

Willingness to Serve

The willingness to serve people at the time of need is not something every man possesses. Sadly, due to the dying breed of genuinely good people, most of us are only looking for opportunities to be nice to people from whom they have something to benefit from. How else would you explain the closely knitted groups that serve only a fraction of the people and turn completely blind eye to the plight of others? So what exactly does serving people entail?

1. Being willing to serve is not seen as a strength by men who are not good social members; it is looked upon as a sign of weakness. People who do simple acts of service, such as cleaning the house or washing the clothes and vessels are called by foul names by men who prefer forcing or even torturing the women and the young in their house to become slaves and complete such chores. They are not real gentlemen, are they? Some men would argue if they were even men or were they just lazy people who didn’t deserve to be called “men”.

2. The onus to take care of your family does not lie with the ladies at home. It lies on every single member of the family. It works just like the wheels of a car. If one wheel got it into its head that it was a cut above the others and that it had nothing to do with the running of the car, it could stop working and potentially lead to a destructive accident of the vehicle. And when that happens, it’s not just the lowly three serving wheels that would get damaged, but the high n’ mighty wheel could get damaged too!

3. People who understand the concept of serving as a show of strength and not weakness are in fact helping himself to a very large extent. Wondering how? Let’s understand this with an everyday example!

Example – Let’s imagine an ideal gentleman who helps his wife and children with different chores in the house when he has some spare time and energy to get involved. He believes in taking care of the stray animals near his home, and he tries to help his old neighbour as much as he can, without being condescending about it. He gives away old and small clothes to the homeless near his house, and he makes it a point to donate what little he can for the people who are less privileged than him.

One day, it so happens that his wife was working in the kitchen on the ground floor, and one of the bedrooms in the first floor caught fire. As his wife was unaware, she couldn’t alert the child who was playing close to the room on fire. Luckily, the old neighbour had taken it upon her to keep an eye out on the lovely, helpful family living next door to her, and she spotted the fire. So, she immediately calls the wife and let her know what she sees. The wife runs in time to get her child out of the house, but she knows she won’t be able to contain the fire on her own, nor does she think the fire engine would be there soon enough to save her home. That’s when the homeless people, alerted by the smoke rising from the house, appear on her yard, and they help her with dousing the fire.

1. Had the man not been a gentleman, there wouldn’t be any peace at home. His wife would feel like she is an unpaid house help who has nothing else but household chores to take care of. She resents doing simple things such as cooking and washing because the activities have been termed “lowly” by her high and mighty husband, then would should she be forced to do them? The old neighbour wouldn’t have taken an initiative to save the family, nor would have the homeless people bothered with the smoke spiralling from the house.

2. There is more that meet the eye when it comes to the matter of serving selflessly. Don’t always expect someone else to take the fall for you or put themselves in danger if you are not willing to do your bit too!

3. Ever noticed how respected and loved the people are, who work in the armed forces? It’s because they chose to serve people, putting on the backburners their own lives and safety. There are immeasurable glory and joy in being a part of something noble, so never hesitate to serve someone every day, in the best possible way you can and to the best of your abilities.

So, take a step forward; inculcate the habit of helping others with small things in your daily life, and enjoy the feeling of happiness and satisfaction that you get after doing such activities. Just build in you the willingness to help other people, and the rest will naturally follow!