Our Duty to the Community

Some people are too ambitious. They want to do this, and they want to do that. But they do not reflect which of the things they really have the ability to do. Others are too pessimistic. They think that everything in this world is out of order and not a single person can be found who is the right man in the right place. They criticize, but they do not work. Neither the former nor the latter can do anything useful to the community. The duty of a man to the community is to do something that is really helpful, not only to himself, but also to the community at large. And in order to do this duty, one must, first of all, choose a suitable occupation. Thomas Carlyle honored two men, the toil-worn craftsmen and the inspired thinkers. He honored them because mankind is benefited by them. Indeed, a farmer or a workman is as respectable as a president or a governor, so far as the good he can do to the community is concerned. It is the idler who is contemptible. Suppose there were a load of one hundred pounds in weight. This would, of course, be impossible for a single man to lift. To ten men the work would be an easy task. But if one of the ten did not exert his strength, his part of the work would be divided among the other nine. So it is with the idlers of the community. They do nothing themselves, but keep other people busy working for them. Therefore, an idler may be called a traitor to the community. It would seem that ambitious people are more useful to the community than pessimistic ones, because the latter never attempt to do anything, while the former always look for something to do. In my opinion, however, neither of the two classes excels the other in merit. Ambitious people, actuated by secret motives to do everything, often try to do many things at one time with the result of having nothing accomplished. Pessimists are able to do something, but as they never attempt to do anything they also accomplish nothing. Therefore, the results are just the same. On the other hand, people who can do their duty to the community are neither ambitious nor pessimistic, but do what their duty requires them to do.