Service or Servitude?

The Feeling of “Have To”

When you’re at work, do you feel like you’re there because you “have to” or because you get an opportunity to use your gifts for the greater good? For those that answer that they “have to,” I would say that your relationship with your job is likely one of servitude. For those who answered that it’s an opportunity to use your gifts, I would say that your relationship with your job is one more of service. 

These two words, service and servitude, are similar, and the concepts behind them are as well. Yet, there are important differences, and they can have vastly different connotations. In this blog, we’ll go through the differences and how you can shift your perspective on this to gain a greater sense of freedom and fulfillment in your life.

Being of Service

Being of service is one of the greatest spiritual acts we can accomplish in our lives. When we are of service to others, we are operating on a higher vibration. We are serving, giving, channeling, being open to our higher calling and purpose, and we are in connection with ourselves, a power greater than ourselves, and others. 

Being of service is one of the most impactful growth principles we can implement throughout our journeys in life. Think about this for a moment: when you are focused solely on yourself, what comes up? Maybe self-judgment, maybe anxiety, maybe shame or guilt, maybe depressive thoughts? Now think of your mental state when you’re using your gifts to serve others for the greater good. What comes up? Joy, love, satisfaction, excitement, and the list goes on. 

The more we are in purposeful service of others, the more empathy, compassion, and overall connection we experience. When we are connected with ourselves and others in this deeper spiritual way, we are free from worry and other negative emotions. Being of service to others is ultimately a gift we give ourselves as well. When we do this, we feel gratitude both for the moment and the connection. 

Servitude

Now let’s look at the other side of the coin: servitude. When you think of this word, what do you feel? Well, when I think of it, I think of being a slave to something (a job, a career, a partner, even a possession). Acting in servitude is doing something because you “have to.” It is being held against your will to a role, ideal, expectation, or duty. 

The most common and obvious example of servitude is working at a job you do not feel aligned with. Think of the worker in a cubicle dialing phones to call people they don’t know to sell them things that they don’t believe in. This worker likely does this job because they “have to” in order to survive, not because they feel any sense of alignment or purpose with the mission of the job. They do the work so that they can pay bills, save money, and have money to spend.

Servitude is a surface way of being and lacks real grounding. It is simply done out of duty and obligation. This can arise not only with work and careers; it can occur in relationships as well. Let’s take the married couple who seem to “go through the motions” and fulfill their obligations dutifully, lacking Love or gratitude. The relationship likely still offers them important things: a sense of safety emotionally and financially, some level of companionship, and stability or security. Without deeper connection, however, the relationship will ultimately be unfulfilling. 

Servitude can even occur in a sense with things we own. I’ve known many boat owners over the years, and there are two major kinds: those who own their boats, and those who are owned by their boats. The ones who own their boats are the ones who really enjoy that lifestyle, and they willingly perform maintenance on the boat, spend money on keeping it safely stored and clean, and taking pleasure in any other duties associated with boat ownership. 

The ones who are owned by their boats are the ones who perceive all of these things to be burdensome. The boat becomes a burden on their finances, time, and mental energy. They have become a servant of their material possession.

Making the Shift

When you look at your own life, are you able to tell in which areas you feel of service and in which areas you feel more like a servant? That’s the first step to making the shift from servitude to service. Think of any particular area of your life: work, health, relationships, finances, hobbies, and see what emotions come up. Are you resentful or stressed out when you think of this area? Or do you feel gratitude, joy, and fulfillment? It may be (and is probably) some mixture of both.

Once you make this assessment, you now have an opportunity to shift your perspective from one of servitude to one of service. Like most things, of course, the servitude vs. service concept runs on a spectrum. The more we are able to give freely and willingly of ourselves in any area of our lives, the more of service we are in that area. This doesn’t only apply to serving other people; it can apply to serving ourselves as well. This is not to mean “selfish” ego-based behavior; it refers to when you are truly serving your needs and offering yourself care for the greater good of all. 

The more we are able to release resentments and stresses surrounding our duties and obligations, the less we feel like a servant and the more we feel that we are being of service. Even if it’s painful, challenging, or requiring great sacrifice, we can still be of service to others and not in servitude. The difference is found in the energy and intention through which we act.

As we serve others, we do so in the energy of Love and a higher sense of care and compassion. Whether it be with smaller acts of service (smiling, holding a door for someone, carrying a bag for someone) or larger acts (giving care to a sick relative, helping a friend through a divorce, or giving many hours of your time to a cause or organization), as long as it is done in the energy of Love, you will be fulfilled in your service, releasing yourself from the burden of servitude. 

Let’s turn desperation into determination (see previous blog) and let go of concepts that put us down; and instead be of service, opening up, and making a conscious connection with ourselves, a power greater than ourselves, and each other. In this way, we can bring ourselves and others a true sense of gratitude, connection, freedom, and fulfillment.

Much Love,
Noel Neu, The Songwriting Therapist™