Service v/s Duty

Duty is an obligation performed to set the order of institutional system to its best utility. Whereas, the performer of the duty earns recognition or wages or credit/collective of all mentioned or may be more than this. This lets the performer perform for a consistent and coherent performance, if not best, at all the times.

Gradually, this habit of performing becomes a smooth practice which eventually makes the individual perfect. Over this period, they give the performer who was always seeking this opportunity of duty with an obligation for this duty itself and for the self at the same times. The obligation is enjoyable as long the performer is performing it well and receiving a benefit in return.

For illustration: It’s a duty of a cricketer or football player to perform to the best of their ability for their team and themselves. Now when do we see duty becoming service? Here, one may say, it begins from a moment the performer of a duty considers it as service, maybe from there on. I wouldn’t hesitate to not accept such an argument because this may be true in some situation for someone somewhere. Although to answer this, we must see for ourselves what service stands for.

The basic distinction for me is that duty is a desired concept, therefore, it is external to human beings. Whereas Service exists with the simple and ordinary existence of human beings; therefore, it is internal to human beings. Service is intrinsic to human beings, for example, as human beings never desire for a skin at the time of their birth or during the early years of childhood, because they already have it.

Service is free from many obligations and is to set the order of chaotic to systematic. Service predates duty. Duty is core to the study of political science. An idea of service is central to religious studies. One who performs service never expects a reward, at least extrinsically, but sometimes, may expect service in return.

Another key distinguishing reason is that service performed is an offering of self for the benefit of the other and not for self gratification which is the by product of the whole exercise. A means to an end and not an end in itself. Those performing service with some return or benefit is performing duty in disguise of service because service is always unconditional. The clear understanding of the both at the time of functioning may help the individual do it better.

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