Service as a Definition

When Elizabeth (Liz), sitting with her friends at a table full of food in Italy itself, is asked if there is a phrase that defines her and she replies, writer; someone reminds her that's what she does, not what she is....

(From the novel Eat, Pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert)

Defining myself in any moment of life with the purpose of introducing me, has been a challenge; I am so many things that I act, that is, I am a doctor, Venezuelan, painter, "freelancer" type writer and cryptocurrency aficionado; tireless reader, son and brother; and I also live a spiritual or religious experience that fills me, in a Church of Christianity that is restored since a short time ago, and where service to others is the reason for its existence.

I have enjoyed every part of the stages I have lived; and if in some I have fallen; as in the book Eat, Pray and Love, I have understood that it is not possible to live among ruins and feel eternally unhappy; and all because we are terrified of change.

When in life we fall into ruined stages, we should give thanks because misfortunes are the origin of transformation, and transforming ourselves is part of the essence of living; and that is what I have believed in, in permanent transformation, taking the best and positive that the day gives us to learn and grow.

To define myself, I would do it with a phrase, this would be: Service to Transform

If in the world - in the current world, I mean - many of us would define ourselves as actors in favor of change, the values that are being accentuated in society, such as appearance, power, having too much, could be transformed and allow characteristics of existence, such as solidarity, union, balance and the fair valuation of things, to be imposed.

Pixabay. TheDigitalArtist

Recently I wrote about love and tried to detail as many characteristics or moral values that this complex feeling has; and in doing so, a question arose about love towards others:

Do human beings love because we need each other or do we need each other because we love each other?

The truth is that the idea that we need those we love seems to me the best definition of true love, and for this, we must know and serve the other, take responsibility, help each other, become supportive; that is, learn to love first to then need; and that is what I like about what I do, in consultation, in religious meetings, in my writings, in my comments in the networks, and in what I expose.

Maybe I'm just looking for ways to leave a reason for us to learn to be brothers, and I spend a lot of time trying to discover windows to look at others and learn from them, or doors to enter and transform other lives; or at least to make the attempt to bring about change.

In the end, it's all about finding the balance between who you are and what your environment demands of you; and for me, service is my balance, and the part that makes me understand and put into practice the lesson Elizabeth Gilbert gives us in her book, which states:

"Balance is not letting anyone love you less than you love yourself."

So here we are, learning more to love ourselves more, trying to transform so that we care about ourselves and the human being and the planet more; growing to consolidate and share; creating....

Emilio Rios

Venezuela.

(The lead image is by Sasint in Pixabay)