Call of Duty…

     Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are quotes by the wise. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. One of my personal favorites is that by Eileen Atkins, who plays the character of an old wizened woman in the film Cold Mountain (2003). She says, “See I think there is plan, there is a design for each and every one of us. You look at nature, bird flies somewhere, picks up a seed, shits a seed out, plant grows… Bird’s got a job, shit’s got a job, seed’s got a job.” On that account, what then are our individual plan, design, and purpose? Are we cognizant of our moral obligation to contribute to the betterment of our communities and our society, or are we crippled by tunnel vision in our mercenary pursuit of greatness and the “pot of gold” guarded by Leprechaun?       

           “See I think there is plan, there is a design for each and every                one of us. You look at nature, bird flies somewhere, picks up a                seed, shits a seed out, plant grows… Bird’s got a job, shit’s got              a job, seed’s got a job”                                                                                                                                                                                             – Eileen Atkins                                                                                                                                              Few phenomena are an embodiment of greatness and an epitome of altruism like a tree is. Consider a grape vine and its bounteousness; it’s a gift that keeps giving fruit to all but itself. Take a leaf from the book of a Jacaranda tree, which gives shade to those in need by spreading its branches out wide as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. When in full bloom, the majestic Jacaranda boasts its grandeur in a bid to lure the honey bee and give aesthetic pleasure to those who see. Learn from the mighty age-defying Baobab tree, whose resilience and sturdiness is unmatched in all nature, giving a testament of unyielding tenacity and unwavering perseverance when all ill winds blow. Imagine what our plight would be if the indispensible Gum and Pine trees were exclusively preoccupied with growing taller, and taller, and taller, and taller, and taller, denying us their wood on which human life, as we know it, heavily relies upon… Envision how our lives would change if the Willow tree withheld its barks and leaves, denying us its salicin which we use to make aspirin…   

     In précis, true greatness presupposes a higher calling than the sole pursuit of personal gain. In this light, the notability of Florence Nightingale is attributed to her nursing of wounded soldiers during the Crimean War and the establishment of her nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. The heroism of Martin Luther King Jnr lies in the fact that he dared to dream beyond the constricted bounds of his own interests, to envision a nation that truly recognized that all men were created equal, and a society free from unjust stratification on the basis of skin color and race. Lastly, the ingenuity of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs resides in the vision that they had of a future in which computers were not limited to the confines of business corporations, but were present in the homes and on the laps of ordinary persons. Thus, in order to be eminent, preeminent, prominent or noteworthy, it is imperative that we broaden our horizons beyond the selfish pursuit of personal interests, and heed to the call of duty to our society. Like Ellie Wiesel, we can then say that, “our lives no longer belong to us alone, they belong to all those who need us desperately.”