Redefining service – The Hindu

In today’s fast-paced world, people toil endlessly for money, fame, or power, and often mistake their relentless work for service. True service, however, requires no such excess. No profession demands unyielding labour — not even medicine, where the myth of sacrifice is most evident.

Doctors often work 15 to 16 hours daily, some seeing 200 patients or more. Consumed by patient care, they neglect their own health, facing shorter lifespans than the general public. If physicians cannot sustain their own well-being, how can they ensure others’ health? Their efforts, while valuable, remain less effective unless the root causes — lifestyle issues and stress — are addressed. Yet doctors themselves grapple with these challenges. By adopting healthy, stress-free lifestyles, physicians could lead by example, promoting wellness and reducing reliance on costly treatments.

How can overworked doctors strike a balance? By sharing work with colleagues, instead of competing with them for more; and by employing and delegating to assistants, sacrificing a small portion of their earnings, they can ease work stress, protect their health, and live balanced lives. Yet many doctors treat hundreds alone, driven by materialism or the belief patients trust only them — a belief doctors must overcome. History shows patients move on to other doctors with equal faith. Clinging to such beliefs harms both physicians and their patients, especially when thousands of unemployed young doctors in India seek opportunities to serve.

Society’s obsession with wealth lies at the root. Materialism fuels stress and sedentary lifestyles, driving much of modern disease. If people embraced affordable, eco-friendly living, most ailments could be prevented, shrinking the need for hospitals. Doctors, as health leaders, are ideally positioned to champion this shift, but only by prioritising their own well-being.

This issue extends beyond medicine. In every field — politics, business, sports — intense competition signals a lack of service. True service lies in sacrifice, not in outpacing others. Our flawed education system, with its relentless exams and comparisons, breeds a culture of competition, fostering anxiety, depression, and unrest. Yet we don’t need to compete for a livelihood. Nature offers abundant resources for all to thrive, and a fulfilling life requires only modest effort.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, “Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam” — Karma Yoga means working skilfully. This involves prioritising quality over quantity, enthusiasm over exhaustion. A wise person works six to eight hours enthusiastically, then enjoys family time, measuring success in peace, not wealth. Toiling 16 hours for riches only to collapse in exhaustion is no skill. The Srimad Bhagavatam (4.22.33) warns that chasing material luxuries destroys everyone’s welfare, likening such pursuits to the lowest instincts.

We must redefine service to uphold dharma — living justly. By working smarter, not harder, we can foster joy, peace, and sustainability. Let’s distinguish service from self-interest, valuing peace over wealth, sacrifice over competition, and healthy living over extravagance. Only then will we build a healthier, happier society, led by doctors and citizens who embody true service.

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