Know Thyself-Duty
Duty and Honour, the catch cry of the Armed forces around the world. At least that was the case in the 20th century. I am not sure how relevant it is in today’s world. For me, a child of the sixties and seventies, duty and honour were what I grew up with and what I embraced for most of my life. To do what I think is right and expected of me, always. No meme’s, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn for that matter to mess with my head. So, there I was, the moral compass was central, and like the marines, mine was not to reason why (about duty) but mine was just to do or die. Simple as that. ??
The girl grew up to be a woman, with the same set of beliefs. And married someone who was equally overdosing on honour and duty. Hence, there was no hope for this combination, but to slowly watch honour and duty grow on steroids. ??
Being the eldest son, my husband had his duty cut out for him. And I, being the only girl in my family had duty too, outlined for me. Then we both had the duty owed to our employers and to the senior positions we were in the mix. Then we had another kind of self-imposed duty that we took on ourselves being the product of the civil war in Sri Lanka. Community and volunteering work was huge in our lives too. Almost like countering the guilt we felt when thinking of the folk who were trapped well and truly in the civil war. ??
In hindsight, one could say it was a Molotov cocktail really. But at the time, we had no time or the mind space to introspect. We just kept going and doing what we thought was required of us. (I don’t like spelling out what was done, as it smacks too much of the dreaded personal branding) ??
What I found was society had its expectations on top of what was expected from family and ourselves. Especially if one is into community service. And so, life whizzed by, duty and honour bound. Yes, we managed to have fun and adventure during all of that. And build a house too. But sometimes we seriously think we were on steroids of some sort to run after duty with such single mindedness. ??
And it is only now, I have had a moment to try to unravel this duty gig. What I found: ?
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Duty is not a hot topic anymore. We still have pockets of people thinking this defines them. I hope so, for those in public offices and in the armed forces. Within the family, many will weigh the pros and cons of the call of duty before they will do it these days. Some of course will always be the exception. I am glad people are not programmed anymore, but at the same time hope that the concept of greater good and being humane is not lost in the process.??
Were you programmed with duty? ??
How do you feel about duty? ??
What do you think about my findings? ??
What actions do you undertake telling yourself it is your duty? ??
Does duty matter in the workplace? ??
What do you think of my findings??
Associate Director | Cognizant - Digital Transformation, Guidewire, Duck Creek implementation - QE
2 年Nice topic Subi Nanthivarman... True i am also brought up in that line but honestly I rebel the word "duty" in a personal context.. somehow that word gives an emotion of something imposed.. (could be a perception issue)..the moment someone tells me its my duty to do something, i lose my will to do it.. Responsibility is fine with me, i can handle that...?? But either ways, there is no escape from honouring dependencies and responsibilities ...I don't feel bad either even if i skip it occasionally.. that just a "me time" arrangement..
Hum filal ADs seekh rahe hai
2 年so true Subi Nanthivarman .
Duty matters a lot to me. And often, if you don't do your duty right is when you will feel out of alignment.
?? Make it Growing, Agile and Organized ?? | Entrep, CEOs Business Coach Mentor | Dyslexic Innovator | Advocate for Conscious Leadership
2 年Subi Nanthivarman undoubtedly
I help busy professionals rediscover clarity & happiness in their career & life || 10+ yrs of Healing & Therapy experience || Forgiveness Advocate
2 年Subi, Duty and guilt are great intertwined for me too. Especially in areas of family, parents and teachers, not so much the others. I am still working on clearing those two. Having said that, it is essential to realize that we are specifically talking about the word Duty... which means obligatory, mandatory responsibilities. It does not mean family or parents or community or country aren't cared for any more, it just means that the care does not come from a forced... I have to do it or i'll feel guilty space.? The unprogrammed mind is actually most responsible and most loving since it doesn't distinguish and separate itself from others. For an observer though the unprogrammed mind might seem aloof or detached, the truth is that what the programmed mind ends up doing as duty is seldom not the best for anyone concerned.? Each one of your points as you unravel this is worthy of deeper introspection. Thank you :-).