By Master Langlas

      The tenet of Community Service means more than doing things for others. It is an attitude of not just serving but of being a servant. Our current culture demeans the notion of being a servant. After all, many of our goals seem to be centered on rising to the top and competing and being victorious. But the tenet of Community Service ignores those aspirations and instead embraces the idea that one should be “less than, not greater than,” one should put one’s wishes completely aside for the benefit of others.

     The senior must be a servant to the junior. He must never resent spending time with the junior. He must put aside all of his own wishes and interact with the junior gently and generously. He must think of nothing but the junior’s progress and the junior’s well being. He must encourage and approach the junior in a joyful and honest way. He must completely ignore the fact that he himself might benefit from teaching the junior; in fact, he must expect nothing in return. (The minute that we expect something from another, we are not truly serving because we are thinking of ourselves.)

     The junior must be a servant to the senior. He must put his senior’s needs before his own and think of his senior before he thinks of himself. He must be eager and open to the words of the senior and acknowledge the senior’s experience and time. He must be grateful and appreciative of the fact that the senior may teach him much. He must never compete with the senior. (Such competition in the Dojang breeds only resentment and fear and jealousy.) 

     This same concept can become the center of the philosophy of the martial artist in the world. If we truly recognize how we have the same needs as others (e.g., the need for love and affirmation as human beings), we are more apt to respect others naturally and make our actions compassionate ones, rather than competitive ones. Indeed, when the sense of “family” in the Dojang takes root, it allows us to see others in the world as members of a human family that needs constant support. 

     Once we admit that we are truly part of a human family based upon common needs, then we as martial artists can see our opportunity for service in the world. Instead of trying to satisfy ourselves only, we can strive to assist others by meeting their needs. We may feed a poor family. We may be companions for lonely neighbors. We may teach a child to read. Even the smallest act—such as encouraging a youngster in school, or volunteering at a retirement home—becomes an act of service, where we create bonds of respect and friendship and we offer the gift of ourselves.

     So what happens when everyone serves each other? What happens when Community Service becomes a priority in our lives? Simply put, it becomes more than an ideal. It becomes a living reality where the word “community” means family, where we as martial artists become real contributors to building a peaceful world. True service will be at the heart of our relationships with others because we will adopt the humble spirit of a servant--someone who chooses to put others before himself and who recognizes that at its greatest depth, true service is an act of love.