“Service” is a foreign word to the internet today. The word is mostly confined to gospel preachers and sometimes the odd volunteer-celebrity like Oprah.
Often the word “service” in an internet culture brings to mind things like self-service or phone service. Maybe servicemen, serving tables, or volunteerism would come to mind. But those are not really what “service” means either, since a person can have so many reasons for devoting their full time to these kinds of service.
That’s not the kind of selfless service this article is talking about. What the world needs more of is the kind of service that, at its core, exists for no other reason than for the sake of serving.
Put differently, as a society, we need to focus on serving each other as the highest and best lifestyle.
Service Is a Common Practice
“But service is a common practice, so many people do it!” you could argue. And for certain places and under certain circumstances, you would be right.
Preachers and volunteer groups like to proudly declare the power of service — and it is good for you. Service can boost your physical and mental health, provide a sense of purpose, build and nurture your relationships, and help you develop job skills, social skills and self confidence.
It’s Good for the World
Additionally, service is good for the world. The world likes to remember times when it came together to serve one another for a cause. Remember Hurricane Katrina? It was one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the U.S. The category 3 hurricane left 1,833 people dead, and millions more stranded on rooftops and searching for family members. The world came together to provide temporary homes, amenities, food and clothes. And it was better for it.
A more recent example would be the 6.8 magnitude earthquake near Marrakech, Morocco. Whose heartstrings were not plucked with urgency when they heard of the 2,900 who died and 5,500 who were injured when the city crumbled on them? Humanitarian aid, search-and-rescue teams, and cash went flooding into the country, as Morocco tried to figure out what to do with the tremendous amount of aid.
And finally, there is a day we still hold in the hearts of citizens of the United States that we remembered on Monday: 9/11. What a horrific day in the country’s history! And yet everyone who remembers that day looks back on the sense of unity and patriotism the nation had after spending weeks searching in the rubble, sending supplies and thinking of the people lost.
The world comes together when it sees a need for service. Service makes the world stronger, and that is one of its best qualities.
So why do we not hold service up as the gold standard for a good life?
It’s Connection
There could be a lot of answers to that question, and you would think after so many natural disasters and terrorist attacks, we would figure it out. Unfortunately, many days the world just goes back to the way it was. The internet keeps chugging along, and so do our everyday lives. Lifestyle hacks hold up influencers and celebrities, and we forget about each other. Mostly, we just get lazy, insecure and caught up in ourselves.
Some days, though, we find it.
Days like the 9/11 day of service remind us that service does not have to be some big commitment that we drag our feet to, save for or even sacrifice our lives for. Service can be an everyday thing.
When ksl started its podcast on a group of Afghan refugees and the people who serve them, no one expected that all many of these people needed was a listening ear — a connection.
Sometimes that’s all service is, is connection. It’s saying “hi” to your neighbor when you walk out of the door at the same time. It’s making friends with the new move-ins, even if they are a little stand-offish or seem a little different when you first meet them. Maybe it’s recognizing when a spouse or child does something helpful or impressive. Finally, it’s seeing a need, and filling it, like it’s part of your lifestyle.
Service is a lifestyle that is good for us. It’s good for the world. It is the highest and best quality of life. So go live it!
– by Abbie Call
Feature image caption: A Cannonville resident operates a skid steer while helping to clean up around the Cannonville sign on the 9/11 day of service. Courtesy Jeanee Shakespeare.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].