Historical Explanation:
Leo Tolstoy was a Russian writer during the late 19th century (1828-1910). He is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time.
His most known works are War and Peace (1867), Anna Karenina (1877), Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886).
He continued to write while at battle during the Crimean War. Once the Crimean War ended, Tolstoy left the Army and returned to Russia.
His writings were extremely unorthodox contrasting the Russian Orthodox Church. He was even watched by the secret police.
Metaphysical Implication:
Mother Teresa said, “A life not lived for others is not a life.”
Tolstoy and Mother Teresa seem to agree that pinnacle of life is to help others. The second greatest commandment in Christianity is, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
What it means to serve others is to view them as more important than ourselves. By fulfilling the needs of others, we are fulfilling our needs by satisfying our intrinsic meaning in life.
Practical Application:
As college students, it may seem counter cultural to serve others. But we should view our professors, our fellow students and our younger peers as our customers.
Tallahassee Community College Assistant Professor of Journalism Reggie Grant once said, “Life is customer service. You are always serving somebody.”
For the reason that when we graduate with our bachelor’s degree, we will be serving others no matter what our job is (if we want to keep it at least). Even business owners have customers that they must fill the needs of.
