Service and contribution

Service and contribution are central to the notion of a deeply personal rebellion. But crucially one that comes from the inside out and not from the imposed values of a system that may or may not be attuned to your values.

At the face of it this feels deeply contradictory. Seemingly validating an individualistic ideology over a communitarian one.

But that isn’t the root.

The root here is to say a self exists in an ocean of other selves, all deeply woven together in an oceanic tapestry. That we both depend on and support the values of others, who we recognise to be on their own journeys.

Service therefore isn’t a forced value that must be carried out because it is required of you at the threat of sanction or shame.

But far more powerfully that service and contribution to the lives of others is precisely what scaffolds and supports both your life and the lives of others. It is the lynch pin of a life lived.

Precisely because this isn’t a motivation from outside, but uniquely built upon the requirements of the inner voice, it ends up aligned with your needs and values and therefore slots into the wider tapestry.

You are aligned precisely because you are needed. You are not fighting for relevance, you are taking your place in the vast natural structure that already exists. Your duty isn’t forced, it is natural and you can only but live it.

The difference with externally forced motivation can’t be overstated. It is not society that determines your role. It is that you are tuning in to your nature. And it is your nature that is already aligned with its place.

This implies listening, not a shouting.