“Human life has meaning only that degree
and as long as it is lived
in the service of humanity”.
Wole Soyinka
There is no greater calling in life than to be of service to humanity.
But be forewarned not to serve the idea of humanity. Or your own distorted version of it, because there is an boundless difference between the real person and the philosophical notion of one.
Traditionally, this how our human history is written, how we lose heart, abandon our life’s work, or worse, bring entire nations to absolute and complete ruin.
When you only embrace an idea of humanity, you will be blind to the needs of one individual, who is vastly different than another. You will see everyone as the same.
You will fail to listen. Fail to understand. Fail to ask who they long and care to be.
You will mean well of course, and probably rely on your God given right, or your hard earned degree to prescribe and pontificate. To use and abuse. To save them from themselves. To kill the Indian but save the man. (At a small margin of profit of course).
Vladimir Lenin openly served the idea of humanity, but privately knew that the Russian people were too ignorant to make any difference. His comrade, Joseph Stalin, thought that the peasants needed a strong selfless leader, a man of steel, and so he lead them, with an iron fist, against their will, despite their resistance.
There truly is no greater joy than to devote your life and your talents to the service of humanity.
There is no greater meaning than to help someone who is in need.
But remember the person.
Never fail to see the individual person.
Start with their name and go from there.
There is so much to be done.
But the last thing we need, is servitude to an idea.
