It might be said that the way out of the ‘dilemma’ of what to do and when to do it, is SERVICE. Why we do it lurks in the background as well.
Should my goal be personal aggrandizement, amassing wealth, seeking name and fame, or plain old pursuit of pleasure, asking who stands to benefit helps clarify things.
If the benefactor is primarily ourselves, it is doubtful that pure service—or at least selfless service—has entered the picture. Shuffling the deck may be in order.
This isn’t to say that I must completely lose sight of myself when acting. It does say that the order of beneficiaries should not put SELF first.
“Do onto others as you would have them do onto you,” holds wisdom for balancing SELF with everything else. Similarly, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” again speaks to not putting oneself first.
Should one wonder how Mother Teresa could serve and support the lepers—at considerable risk and discomfort to herself—it might be illustrative to start with how she may have viewed the hierarchy of self and others we are discussing. Si If I truly wish to “Love thy neighbor ….,” loving yourself (myself) certainly is not only relevant but vital to gauging my activities and behavior.
It’s not just that ‘charity starts at home.’ Love resides in ourselves ready to rear its glorious head.
If we wish to discover the truth of “the only way out is in,” best we begin with the ‘in.’ It really can’t be any other way.
If we experience life in part—or in whole—as correcting the past so as to improve the future, surely the ‘order of business’ starts within—home to our past experience.
If we wish to do God’s work, accessing that entity in whose image we are created may be not only a good place to begin, but as well a good place to continue and end.
‘Higher self,’ the ‘child within,’ the soul and heart all reside in that holy, awesome neighborhood of rarified air we call SERVICE.
The kingdom of heaven is near at hand we have been told. Perhaps it is as near as His and our breath.
