Service Types: What They Are and Their Importance for You

Exploring the Meaning of Service Types

This article will explore various types of service, the true meaning of service, the relationship between service and personality types, service to oneself, God, others, and all of creation, and ultimately, the significance of service. Do you prefer to serve or be served? Is service as relative as truth to you? We will delve into these questions in the following sections.

What Is Service?

I prefer to define English terms in my own way because these definitions convey my intended message. In this context, ‘service’ encompasses all thoughts, words, and actions directed towards oneself, others, God, or any beings in one’s surroundings. Indeed, it involves relating to both oneself and the external environment, encompassing internal and external relationships.

“A service is the action of doing something for someone or something. It is largely intangible (i.e., not material). A product is tangible (i.e., material) since you can touch it and own it.“
Source: What is Service: Definitions, Concept, Characteristics, Classification, Role (businessmanagementideas.com)

Service, whether directed towards oneself (self and God) or others (humans and creation), is an act of giving. It can manifest through thoughts, words, and actions, as thoughts are the mind’s deeds that later materialize into spoken or written expressions and behaviors.

Take, for instance, the process of writing. The content I pen is a reflection of my premeditated thoughts. As a “pantser” — a writer who doesn’t extensively plan or outline beforehand — I still engage in plotting, albeit mentally, before transcribing the narrative onto paper. Let’s consider this straightforward definition of service for now, as we will delve into various types of service soon.

Types of Services

There is an abundance of service types that we can conceive, as vast as our imagination allows. However, this is not the approach to consider them. What are these services we’re discussing in this section? They encompass various activities aimed at enhancing oneself, others, and one’s overall life.

Are you providing a great service to yourself through your thoughts? Are they predominantly negative? Do your words and actions tend to be negative, positive, or a mix of both? Remember, these serve you primarily. Yet, your thoughts can be external or internal. How do you distinguish between two opposing thoughts?

Remember, life comprises positive, negative, and neutral aspects. This is evident in every atom, which contains protons, electrons, and neutrons. They are present because they are the fundamental building blocks of life. It’s unnatural to expect only positive thoughts.

Nevertheless, an excess of anything is not beneficial for you or your surroundings. There is a spectrum to everything in this world, encompassing good and evil. You fall somewhere in between, whether you realize it or not. As mentioned before, services can be many, but we can categorize them as internal services (between God and oneself) or external services (towards people and creatures). Instead of treating yourself well, you may have been subjecting yourself to contempt and disrespect. This is worth contemplating.

Service and Personality Types

Throughout my journey, I’ve come to understand that everything hinges on personality type. I was fascinated when Ian Tuhovsky described personality as a program running predefined processes from the subconscious mind. I used to believe that my personality was my identity, my essence, not something acquired from my surroundings.

Yet, even my body is merely an accumulation of evolutionary years. It’s a repository of nourishment, as Sadhguru would say, a memory bank in itself. Within it lies DNA that carries information about my ancestors, stretching back generations. So, who am I, really? A personality is what distinguishes your appearance, thoughts, speech, and actions from others. Your parents, too, have distinct characteristics and personality traits, right? Consequently, service types are influenced by personality types and traits.

It appears to me that we don’t alter our natures or personality types, but we can change our thoughts, words, and actions. This is often mistaken for self-change, which is a lofty aspiration. Even Saul of Tarsus underwent a change in character, not personality—two distinct concepts. For instance, my intuitive empathy coupled with introversion forms a personality type that is immutable, and I have no desire to change it. Is this merely a mindset? I think not. This is a solid conclusion I’ve drawn after years of self-exploration.

My personality type enables me to think, speak, and act in the ways I do, independent of life’s lessons. This allows me to write with a unique blend of English words. Other writers have their distinctive styles, shaped by their personality types. Similarly, I serve myself uniquely due to my personality type. You serve yourself in your own way, influenced by your personality type. You may not be a writer, but you still think, speak, and act in a manner that benefits you and those around you.

Service to Self

The way you treat yourself matters. Your thoughts and actions can be a service to yourself, either positive or negative.

You are more than just your physical body. You also have a mind, thoughts, and motivations to consider. Everything you do affects your entire being, from your physical form to your inner spirit.

Taking care of your physical needs with food and hygiene is a form of service. You also naturally protect your body from harm. However, during difficult times, you might neglect your physical well-being. Remember, there’s also a non-physical aspect to you, something beyond the tangible.

Service to God

The question of God’s existence is complex. While some believe in a higher power, others don’t. Even without seeing one, the idea of a grand design and our place within it persists.

Serving this concept, then, can involve thoughts, words, and actions. These can be positive or negative. For instance, anger at world events can lead to negativity towards this idea, but it can also show a desire for change and compassion.

Service to Other Humans

Helping others goes beyond just our actions. Our thoughts and words can be forms of service too, just like how we serve ourselves and something greater. But here’s the rub: many of our thoughts about others, especially, tend to be negative. We get filled with dislike and then gossip, which is sharing negative things about someone behind their back.

This gossip can be about things we know wouldn’t be pleasant for them to hear, and it often happens without us even realizing it. But is gossiping truly serving others?

The word “service” implies something helpful and positive. We might not always stop to consider if our thoughts, words, and actions are actually good for both ourselves and others, do we?

Service to the Creation

Caring for Our Fellow Creatures

The idea of serving trees, fish, insects, and birds might seem strange at first. We often focus on human needs, neglecting the interconnectedness of life on Earth. As capable and compassionate beings, shouldn’t we strive to care for all living things?

However, our ability to care for others starts with ourselves. When human relationships struggle – on individual and societal levels – our capacity to extend that care outward weakens.

Some traditional beliefs attribute this struggle to a fundamental disconnect, a broken relationship between humanity and the natural world. While such interpretations vary, there’s a simpler truth: fostering better relationships with all living things, from our pets to entire ecosystems, begins with a shift in perspective. It requires a conscious effort, both individually and collectively, to see ourselves as part of a larger whole.

By nurturing these connections, our thoughts and actions become a force for positive change. We can create a world where serving the needs of all creatures, not just our own, becomes the norm.

The Importance of Service

The concept of service is complex. We often associate it with good deeds, but what if the service is done for malicious reasons? History shows religious extremism can be fueled by a twisted sense of service to a higher power.

However, true service, when done with good intentions, is vital for humanity and the environment. Just like our actions and thoughts, service can be directed at ourselves, a higher power, others, and the world around us. Before we can give, we must receive. This is a natural cycle. We can’t offer what we don’t possess. Sharing these thoughts is an act of service, inspired by the knowledge I’ve been given.

Summary

To summarize, we’ve delved into various service types, the concept of serving and being served, the correlation between service and personality types, and the significance of service. But what about you? Have you discovered anything new? I’m eager to read your insights in the comments section below. Please share your thoughts before the comments close automatically. It might be surprising or even challenging to realize that we serve other beings, both individually and collectively. What are your thoughts on this? And if this role is already familiar to you, what insights can you offer that I might have overlooked?