Directions of Service and Other's Views
Feb. 23rd, 2007 01:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kokopelleA recent experience on a group blog educated me to the concept of "strongly serving a few people or lightly serving many people". Human beings only so so much energy and effort to put forth. Our efforts have to go somewhere. These two views of service can focus attentions in different directions. How we view other people can change also. IMO this is how it plays out...
"serving few greatly" person.
They see themselves as honest, stalwart guardians of a few people. They see themselves as extremely passionate caretakers of those around them. The amount of attention that can be given to specific people is substantial, providing for maximum impact and growth. Those who criticize do it from a place of not understanding.
The extreme "serving many lightly" people are seen as scattered, uncaring, lazy, unfocused, and so on.
"Serving many lightly" person
They see themselves as compassionate, open-minded, dedicated, and sharing. With a larger group served, the person's resources of time, effort and material are split in multiple directions. Many are touched in some way, with the "whole" benefiting from the efforts. Those who criticize do it from a place of not understanding.
The extreme "serving few greatly" people are seen as xenophobic, close minded, mean-spirited, aggressive, and so on.
I saw the following saying on the same group blog...
"serving few greatly" person.
They see themselves as honest, stalwart guardians of a few people. They see themselves as extremely passionate caretakers of those around them. The amount of attention that can be given to specific people is substantial, providing for maximum impact and growth. Those who criticize do it from a place of not understanding.
The extreme "serving many lightly" people are seen as scattered, uncaring, lazy, unfocused, and so on.
"Serving many lightly" person
They see themselves as compassionate, open-minded, dedicated, and sharing. With a larger group served, the person's resources of time, effort and material are split in multiple directions. Many are touched in some way, with the "whole" benefiting from the efforts. Those who criticize do it from a place of not understanding.
The extreme "serving few greatly" people are seen as xenophobic, close minded, mean-spirited, aggressive, and so on.
I saw the following saying on the same group blog...
A specialist learns more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing.Bringing this wisdom to my examination of services, it can be said that in the extreme, each direction of service runs the risk of serving nobody. This is sad no matter which direction the service is pointed. Fortunately, the vast majority of people are somewhere in between the two poles. If only those who detract us could see this too.
A generalist learns less and less about more and more until he knows nothing about everything.
