An Essay on Public Service (Speech Form)

First of all, it is a great pleasure to be able to speak in front of many influential people. We must always thank Divine Providence for giving us this opportunity to discuss various issues related to our daily lives. Short as it may be, I am here to appeal to you, oh all you powerful leaders of the nations of this world, that public service is a devotion, a religious devotion perhaps, on what we believe is good for the world. Titles and honors are only used to appease one’s burden – that is, the burden of serving the public even if we don’t get good rewards in return. In the Gospel of Mark chapter ten verse forty-five, it says “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." If the Son of Man himself, despite being a God, humbled himself to the level of a servant, what more is expected of us, fallible man? We are expected to serve, as simple as that. Life is full of fulfilling our full duties – no escapes. Remember what is written in the Environmental Epistle: The very act of helping others and the environment is what counts. All of those who serve for the benefit of the public – from your industrious waste collector to your honorable presidents and prime ministers – are worthy of being called “heroes” if they are doing what is right. With mercy, justice and righteousness in mind, leaders can be great examples for their people. If they did good deeds in their lifetimes, it is most likely that people will remember their good works and be inspired by them. What issues, perhaps, do public leaders face today?

There are many challenges leaders face. Issues – especially personal ones, can greatly affect the morale of the leader and the people he leads. What if a popular leader who declares that smoking is immoral is himself a smoker? What if a popular leader who declares that pre-marital sex is immoral is, himself, a sexual fornicator? What if your president, an alcoholic, declares that alcoholism is a societal problem and should be forbidden? Will people listen to them? Maybe not. What if your religious leaders emphasize compassion and charity but they themselves do not lift a finger to help the needy? What will happen? Nothing. The people look upon their leaders as noble examples. Hypocrisy on one’s part will effectively ruin one’s actions. I quote 2^nd Epistle of Dario: Were you not taught by your leaders to love others as yourselves? (Hindi ba kayo tinuruan ng ating mga lider na mahalin ang iba gaya ng iyóng sarili?) (II Dario 2:12) For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:13-14 (NASB))

One challenge that the human race is currently facing is the issue of Climate Change. Who will be the catalyst of change? The change from a (overly) resource consuming consumer to an ecologically-aware moderate consumer is a hard task – especially since we were indoctrinated by Western culture to use too much resources. Quoting my own Essay on Resourcefulness: I have witnessed their gross overconsumption of resources. Leftovers discarded, useful machines discarded after being superseded by a more “newer model”, cars are often used too much, among other wasteful activities.  Such acts are common in “First World Countries”, where (apparently) they have this sense of material security. Changing the very basic mindset of the average person (e.g. from a tissue-paper user to a reusable rag user) needs a ton of volunteerism. The people should learn to serve others as well, and not to overly rely on their “public servants”. Who will teach them and set the example? Simple, the public servants – the leaders of the peoples of the world. They will lead.

Alas, public service is a big burden and not everybody reaps good results in their lifetimes. Haters will malign you. Critics will criticize you. Envious people (crabs) will try to pull you down and even malign you alongside your haters. Despite pouring your best efforts, haters will still hate you. The popular meme says, haters gonna hate. We may not be able to please everybody, but let this not be a reason to be disheartened. Use your powers to help mankind and you shall achieve holiness in the eyes of heaven. Good luck to all of us. Once again, thank you.