Learning To Serve Humanity Instead of Just Our Country

Growing up in America, it seemed that the greatest thing one could do or was told that one could do was to “serve one’s country”.

Unfortunately this became such a motto and at times an almost dogmatic attitude that was spread among the population that two things happened.

One was that we did not fully investigate what our leaders were doing and saying that got us into situations where we were being asked to serve our country.

Questions have been raised about the intelligence and purported conflicts or potentiality for conflicts in both the lead in and start up of the Vietnam War and the current war in Iraq.

Another thing that happened were that those who had objections to what the leaders were asking of us were somehow being demonized as individuals who did not want or wish to serve their country.

In fact, many were branded as communists or traitors.

It seems that only long afterwards are we mindful about the sometimes-flawed reasoning and actions of our leaders while at the same time seeing the wisdom and righteousness of those who questioned the actions and motives of our leaders or wanted to work for peace.

This concept of serving one’s country has been adapted throughout all of the nations of the world, and though it seems noble and desirable at first, it may take us away from a greater goal, that being to serve all humanity.

One may wonder if it is really a noble or wise thing to do when we demonize another people, culture, country, political system or religion, without looking with some insight and depth into what motivates our own desires and actions each day.

As a child I was briefly taught in one school and by one teacher that I had about the evils of communism based on a book that he had read, but then for some reason the class was abruptly cancelled.

But twenty years later, when I finally made a trip to country that was then communist and part of the soviet system, I found the people there to be the same as people in the U.S., dealing with raising children, relationships, failed and troubled marriages and looking for something outside of their life and their nightly dosage of television viewing to bring them greater satisfaction and fulfillment in their life.

The demons that haunt and trouble men in the world are the same everywhere, and not dependent on where we live or what the political system that we adhere to or live under espouses.

Of course, having said such a thing, there are extremes that not only stifle and confuse men, but threaten them with death, imprisonment and torture on a day to day basis.

Sadly, in all countries of the world, those elected and unelected leaders that we must live under and set policy for us are and may be people who have reasonable fears and an unreasonable and insatiable greed.

How many elected and unelected leaders ask of us to serve humanity, with the understanding that we all share the planet and experience the same things in life?

It is up to us to be able to find a way to grow above such a thing as just serving one’s country and find how we can serve humanity as a whole.

Yoga and Buddhism place great emphasis on this idea of serving humanity though in sometimes hard to see ways.

This is more true in Buddhism where it has been manipulated to being something that is associated with nationalistic feelings or something that needs to be protected from outside forces, or something that should make one feel that they are somehow superior, better or more enlightened then other countries and the people that make up those countries.

In Yoga, because it is not viewed as or practiced as a religion, such a thing does not exist and the practice of Karma Yoga tells us to go out and serve the both the local and world community of people and nations.

Another aspect to serving one's country that has always been of interest to me is that people who say and do it many times enjoy some very nice perks, benefits and salaries from such a thing.

It also provides them with business opportunities and for those who are in power or have governmental or policy-making positions, the opportunity for corrupt practices.

The history of the United States and other countries in both the free world and among those countries that are considered to be less free or democratic shows us again and again that those who are in power and able to truly serve one’s country and people have tendencies to corrupt practices and corruption.

To serve one’s country and humanity means that there is sacrifice, that there is hardship, that there is faith, that there is belief, that there are results and that there is joy and peace.

Perhaps if we look at and gear our life to one of consisting of actions that truly serve humanity, we would be truly serving our country in the best way also.

©2006 John C. Kimbrough