Belonging
Excerpts from “My Grandfather’s Blessings” by Rachel Naomi Remen
Basically service is about taking life personally, letting the lives that touch yours touch you. these days, many people seem to think that being touched is a form of weakness, even if the life that touches you is your own. If you are under thirty, the thing to be is “cool”. Been there, done that. But why would anyone want to be “cool”? Should I live to be very old, I expect that I will not remember the the times when I was “cool” but will be warmed only by the times when I cared passionately, risked everything to make a difference, and knew who I was.
True service is not a relationship between an expert and a problem; it is far more genuine than that. It is a relationship between people who bring the full resources of their combined humanity to the table and share them generously. Service goes beyond expertise. Service is another way of life.
A “helping” relationship may incur a sense of debt, but service, like healing, is mutual. Service is free from debt. The wholeness in me is as strengthened as the wholeness in you. Everyone involved is fortunate to have had the chance to participate. In helping, we may find a sense of satisfaction; in serving, we have an experience of gratitude.
Service is closer to generosity than it is to duty. It connects us to one another and to life itself. When we experience our connectedness, serving others becomes the natural and joyful thing to do. Over the long run, fixing and helping are draining but service is renewing. When you serve, your work itself will sustain you, renew you, and bless you, often over many years.
The best definition of service I have come across is a single word, BELONGING. Service is the final healing of isolation and loneliness. It is the lived experience of belonging.
