For many South Africans, clean running water, working toilets, rubbish (garbage) collection etc are all luxuries and stuff they see in other people's homes and communities. Election time is also the opportunity for political parties to spew their endless ramblings of hatred toward each other and point the finger of blame for Service Delivery failings. Empty promises are top of the agenda.
This all got me thinking and it dawned on me that such behaviour isn't reserved for merely government and political parties, but something we all do, everyday, to each other. We all fail at Service Delivery.
As human beings, we all serve each other, whether as a Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Grandfather, Grandmother, Cousin, Colleague, Environment, Pets etc. You get my drift. But are we doing our best? Are we serving with purpose?
According to the Mirriam Webster dictionary, to serve means
~ to render or be of service to (a person, cause, etc); help
When I think of how I have served others or others are serving each other, we are failing miserably. I'm not even considering the "big" things such as water, toilets, saving the planet etc, I'm considering the little things, such as calling someone when you say you will, being on time to a party, greeting your colleagues.
In the past few weeks I have really begun to notice how people generally have an "I don't give a damn about you-cavalier" attitude. Why, when somebody says I'll call you on Saturday, they don't. When you send an invitation to a party / dinner, either you don't get a response, they respond but then don't show up, they just show up........Meetings: when late for a meeting, call to let someone know you will be late. Why when we receive communications, whether it be written or said, we don't read the email fully, we don't listen to what the other person is saying. Why do some people think that all anybody else wants to hear about is them, it's not all about you. Everybody has a story, everybody has something to share. Give everybody the opportunity to express themselves.
Often, I'm left gobsmacked at the events that are occuring across the globe and how humanity is destroying itself, but then when I consider how we cannot serve well in the simple things, I realise how on earth can we serve well in the big things?
We need to go back to basics, we need to serve each other with purpose. It's like that saying, you can't love somebody if you don't love yourself. Well, you cannot serve yourself without serving others.
STOP. LISTEN. ACKNOWLEDGE. HELP. BE CURTIOUS. SHARE. RESPECT. SMILE. RESPOND. SERVE. YOURSELF. EACHOTHER.
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