Developing one’s character and finding the right path in life are no small tasks. If becoming a loksevi required a lifelong effort of downfall and wandering, how can one expect an overnight transformation in others? Loksevi at least begin with idealistic inclinations, but for others there is still a need to awaken an essential dedication to seva. It requires sustained effort and training.
Adhering to one’s principles with a firm will inspires family members to do the same. A loksevi will be able to avoid confusing or confrontational situations with his family if his values are appreciated by them. For example, he might find himself in a conflicting situation if he decides to wear only simple clothes and his son wants to buy him an expensive outfit. He could have easily avoided this situation if he had been able to inspire in his son a respect for his simple lifestyle. The family members would have understood his point and tried to follow him as well.
A loksevi’s firm determination to stick to his principles may not always inspire family members to make similar resolutions, but it does force them to realize the importance of those principles. There are many ways to prepare family members for one’s commitment to principles, each depending upon the situation.
Apart from encouraging family members to embrace positive qualities, the loksevi should also be careful not to increase their responsibilities. In ancient times, people who wished to become involved in seva would do so in adolescence. However, if someone with family responsibilities wanted to get into this field, he would have to first make arrangements for his family’s needs. It did not mean that he had to choose the path of renunciation, he just had to minimize his family’s liabilities. For example, when the children were grown, he could turn responsibility for the household over to them and move into the field of service to society.
Young loksevi need to be careful about the number of children they want to have. It might be better not to have children at all if the loksevi wishes to seriously devote himself to serving all people. There are many children in the community who are deprived of love and affection, and the loksevi can shower his love on them. It is not necessary that they be his own children. Those who are not willing to marry may remain unmarried, but if they wish to get married they should minimize the number of children they plan to have. When there is reduced pressure from the family, the loksevi will be able to devote the majority of his time and talent to society. Even though he will not have a family, he will be able to shoulder the responsibility of the entire society – something that was done also by the Japanese Gandhi, Kagawa.
There are many fields in which seva is required, not all of which are apparent. Some people with both the resources and the desire to serve the world hesitate to take the first step. They appear confused about what to do and how to do it. They reason that there are so many problems in the world, that everything is going wrong, that so many are caught in the flood, and so on; and thus feel themselves incapable of solving any problems. They begin to focus on the possible results of their efforts before the work even starts. If everyone thought this way, there would be no seva in the world. The first requirement is to become involved to one’s full capacity, without caring for the consequences. The squirrel in the Ramayan knew that her contribution would not be significant in building the bridge to Lanka, but she continued to pour small chunks of sand in the ocean with complete devotion. Her contribution was minute from a result-oriented point of view, but she attained a very high place in the list of contributors to Lord Rama’s cause.
Even minor individual attempts are not in vain. The bears and monkeys in Rama’s army knew that they were up against a powerful force, but nonetheless they planned to conquer Lanka, and they succeeded. When Indra decided to drown the entire Brij region out of anger, Krishna planned to lift the Govardhan Mountain with the help of his friends. It seemed like a Herculean task, and they were not sure they could do it. But they did not lose heart, and stuck together. The rest is history. A person feeling positive about a commitment to seva should think about taking one step at a time, and dedicate himself completely to the cause he plans to undertake.
At first glance, seva may not seem like a profitable proposition, but that is not true. A farmer sowing seeds may appear silly to a person who is not familiar with the concepts of agriculture. However, when he sees the result of the farmer’s sowing, he becomes pleasantly surprised. Seva bears similar fruits: betterment of society and fulfilment for the loksevi. This is a pleasure that is only felt; people who expect tangible benefits may not realize it and may call it an unprofitable business.
This will always be true of people. The public judges most things only by their physical and tangible benefits. Thus, they are often not able to realize the value of seva and do not show much interest in it. However, when they see someone volunteer to step into this field and make progress and become happy, they become less confused. They begin to realize the benefits of service and extend their support and respect to the loksevi.
However, if the outlook of a loksevi is not clear and honest, he will become demoralized by the difficulties and rejection that he may have to face in the beginning. He may begin thinking, “Why should I waste my energy on something in which society does not support me, even though society will only benefit from it?” The moment this thought appears in the loksevi’s mind, his decline begins.
The emergence of this thought signifies one fact: that the loksevi is losing his outlook. Only a person who considers service to others to be a liability will have a thought like that. The feeling of serving others is often a satisfying one, but the feeling of doing others a favour is simply arrogance. Arrogance ultimately results in the decline of a person. It is therefore important for the loksevi to keep a clean, honest outlook towards service. A true loksevi considers service to the world to be an opportunity to fulfil his duties, to pay back a debt to society. He considers it to be a rare opportunity to receive the love of God. He does not want to lose it and moves forward on his journey alone, no matter how little the cooperation. If he receives any cooperation, he takes it gratefully and does not worry that he might have to share his success with another. His focus is on doing his work diligently and to his best ability. For this reason, he remains devoted and at peace.
Therefore, a person entering the field of service to the world should try to have a positive and honest outlook. Only then will he be able to focus all his energy on serving others. By doing this, he will receive the benefits of self-refinement along with those of bettering society.
Source: Guidelines for the Aspiring Loksevi
