Where to Now?

For Easter Sunday, I thought I would revisit the subject of service. What does it mean to serve others, from a spiritual perspective? I have a friend whose brother was an alcoholic. He devoted a great deal of time and energy trying to make his brother sober, as a way of life. When his brother visited, he hid liquor in the house. He constantly monitored his brother's activities. He tried to keep his brother in sight at all times. And most of all, he felt it was his duty to use whatever resources he had for his brother's conversion to be like others who were non-alcoholic.

He convinced his brother to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. When his brother returned from the the meeting, he stated, " I hate going to those meetings, it's like looking at myself." For some reason, a light went on in my friend's head. The statement appeared to be true about him also. He realized that his pilgrimage to save his brother was really driven by a fear within himself of his own potential to become an "active alcoholic." He realized that he was a "latent alcoholic." And given the right circumstances, he could also become active.

Following this line of thinking, he had a further realization. If alcoholism is basically an addiction, then he was an alcoholic in several areas of his own life with his wife, children, and friends. But what all those areas had in common was his need to be accepted in spite of his short comings as a person. He realized he was just like his brother that he was trying to save. His desperate act of conversion was really his own personal transformation. Such a transformation leaves one humbled and respectful of the struggles of others, which is wisdom; an in-depth understanding, empathy, and compassion for the human condition.

Now my friend was ready to serve. Service, from a spiritual perspective, requires a "rite of passage." That rite of passage establishes the context for service. This context begins an "unconditional acceptance" of others exactly as they are. There is no "need" to make them better as defined by one's own criteria or condition. There is no necessity for someone else's conversion. If so, the act is not service but manipulation to cover one's own uncertainty or deficiency.

Spiritually-driven service is the natural expression of human participation in life based upon an inner prompting to contribute to the well being of others. The context for this expression is

Empathy--the true caring and understanding of another's path as if it were your own.

Compassion--the unconditional acceptance of another's chosen path; and where appropriate, have them realize their potential for change.

Humility--the realization of your own equality with others regardless of their condition or station in life.

Love--the realization of your interconnectedness with others as one.

And most of all, remember you are saving yourself!

Happy Easter,
Bill