Duty is Joy — What Nonsense! (Or is it?)
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life is duty. I acted and behold… Duty is joy.
Rabindranath Tagore
Duty might seem dull at first but, after hours reading the biographies of the greats, it seems to be that — without duty there would be no substance to your purpose and no sustainable drive to your adventures…
Most suppose freedom is preferable to duty — but freedom isn’t just one fixed thing: it comes in many forms. Duty, for one, is freedom from a shallow life, which — for me — is the highest freedom. There are other forms of freedom but we must be wary of them because, as Tagore writes:
Emancipation from the bondage of the soil is no freedom for the tree.
Be wary of modern freedoms and think carefully before abandoning your duties for some vague idea of freedom.
Duty to Humanity — Noblesse Oblige
Noble are those who have the creed of human service, seeing the great amount of suffering in the world, and taking it upon themselves to, as Dr. King said, rise above the narrow confines of their individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of their community and all humanity.
Noblesse Oblige is not necessarily a monetary matter, but rather a willingness of the heart to provide our talents, skill sets and gifts to those less fortunate than ourselves, no matter what station we have in life.
Be of service: It is the life of servitude that is greatest and most fulfilling. But let us be clear: you are definitely not to be the servant of petty men and petty desires.
Think about the great men and women you know: Winston Churchill, Dr. King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa. All of them stood for something greater than themselves: love of country, resistance against oppression, and a profound love of fellow men.
More on higher ideals like love, truth, and beauty — in later issues.
Purpose and Adventure
Duty keeps life consistent but purpose and adventure makes it glorious.
For most of the world, the struggle for survival has subsided, and the question has emerged: survival for what? Ever more people today have the means to live but no meaning to live for. In this era, this is our common struggle — for purpose and adventure, for something that can justify this apparently meaningless farce of existence. Many think this something is happiness. No —
In truth, the universe has called us out for something far greater than mere happiness — so much greater that happiness pales in comparison. It has called us up for the grand adventure of life. (More on this in later issues.)
You must develop in you that lust for life.
Make life a wonderful adventure!
A Call to Action
Duty is its own thing. It calls upon you at time of its own choosing — whether you are ready or not.
To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.
Sir Winston Churchill
Start preparing right now to be the person that won’t disappoint your moment! Let that moment find you with war paint on, with your phalanx in disciplined formation, morale high, and ready for the offensive!
