Where's the Service?
I have been thinking a lot about service lately. In my current occupation (consulting engineer), I work with sales representatives that work for various equipment manufacturers. I have been out of this line of work for about fifteen years and about a year ago returned to it. It seems that the level of service provided by sales reps and the companies they represent is not at the same level that it used to be, at least on a personal level. There could be several reasons for this, one might be that with the evolution of the Internet, much of the information that in the past was delivered in person can now be accessed “on-line”, but I think there is more to it than just new technology.
It seems that the concept of providing “service”, simply for the act of serving has been replaced with the concept of “marketing” as a way to make a sale or a profit. When I think of service, I think of it in terms of the dictionary’s definition as a “contribution to the welfare of others”, which is “useful labor that does not produce a tangible commodity”. Service in this sense is done simply because that is what we are all about, that is our ultimate purpose; service is what gives life (and work) meaning. Perhaps this is why the term also applies to “religious” practices, practices related to our higher calling. Although service work may not produce “a tangible commodity” in the sense of monetary gain, it does much more than that. Service is what helps us to learn, to grow, and to experience real life, from those we are supposedly serving. In the end the question becomes "who is serving whom?"
Unfortunately in our capitalistic driven world, this type of service does not show up on our “balance sheets” and instead seems to be replaced more and more with the idea of marketing, which the dictionary defines as “the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market.” In many ways it is the view that unless there is something in the act of serving for the company (or me, with the something usually monetary gain), then there is no point in performing the service.
It is this failure to value service for what it is, that takes the meaning out of the work we do. This weeks Spirituality and Practice E-Newsletter starts off with a story by Sadhu Sundar Singh that is a good reminder about why doing service not only helps those we serve, it also helps us.
Sadhu Sundar Singh’s story relates an experience he had crossing a Tibetan mountain pass in the early 1900’s with a guide during extreme cold and heavy snows. They came upon a man who had slipped from the path and was lying in the snow. The guide advised him to leave the man as the burden of carrying the man to safety would likely result in all three of them dieing in the cold conditions. Sadhu could not leave the man and so slung him over his shoulder to try to carry him to safety. The guide took off ahead on his own as Sadhu struggled on with the man over his shoulder.
Sadhu concluded the story with the following reminder on why service is important. “How we made it, I do not know. But just as daylight was beginning to fade, the snow cleared and I could see houses a few hundred yards ahead. Near me, on the ground, I saw the frozen body of my guide. Nearly within shouting distance of the village, he had succumbed to the cold and died, while the unfortunate traveler and I made it to safety. The exertion of carrying him and the contact of our bodies had created enough heat to save us both. This is the way of service. No one can live without the help of others, and in helping others, we receive help ourselves.”
So perhaps things have not changed so much in regards to how we regard service, maybe I just need to focus less on the level of service others provide, and focus more on providing a higher level of service myself. This service needs to be done not with the end in mind, but simply with the realization that the act will bring meaning.
It seems that the concept of providing “service”, simply for the act of serving has been replaced with the concept of “marketing” as a way to make a sale or a profit. When I think of service, I think of it in terms of the dictionary’s definition as a “contribution to the welfare of others”, which is “useful labor that does not produce a tangible commodity”. Service in this sense is done simply because that is what we are all about, that is our ultimate purpose; service is what gives life (and work) meaning. Perhaps this is why the term also applies to “religious” practices, practices related to our higher calling. Although service work may not produce “a tangible commodity” in the sense of monetary gain, it does much more than that. Service is what helps us to learn, to grow, and to experience real life, from those we are supposedly serving. In the end the question becomes "who is serving whom?"
Unfortunately in our capitalistic driven world, this type of service does not show up on our “balance sheets” and instead seems to be replaced more and more with the idea of marketing, which the dictionary defines as “the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market.” In many ways it is the view that unless there is something in the act of serving for the company (or me, with the something usually monetary gain), then there is no point in performing the service.
It is this failure to value service for what it is, that takes the meaning out of the work we do. This weeks Spirituality and Practice E-Newsletter starts off with a story by Sadhu Sundar Singh that is a good reminder about why doing service not only helps those we serve, it also helps us.
Sadhu Sundar Singh’s story relates an experience he had crossing a Tibetan mountain pass in the early 1900’s with a guide during extreme cold and heavy snows. They came upon a man who had slipped from the path and was lying in the snow. The guide advised him to leave the man as the burden of carrying the man to safety would likely result in all three of them dieing in the cold conditions. Sadhu could not leave the man and so slung him over his shoulder to try to carry him to safety. The guide took off ahead on his own as Sadhu struggled on with the man over his shoulder.
Sadhu concluded the story with the following reminder on why service is important. “How we made it, I do not know. But just as daylight was beginning to fade, the snow cleared and I could see houses a few hundred yards ahead. Near me, on the ground, I saw the frozen body of my guide. Nearly within shouting distance of the village, he had succumbed to the cold and died, while the unfortunate traveler and I made it to safety. The exertion of carrying him and the contact of our bodies had created enough heat to save us both. This is the way of service. No one can live without the help of others, and in helping others, we receive help ourselves.”
So perhaps things have not changed so much in regards to how we regard service, maybe I just need to focus less on the level of service others provide, and focus more on providing a higher level of service myself. This service needs to be done not with the end in mind, but simply with the realization that the act will bring meaning.
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