The Honor Code says that a CCA student is dutiful in service.  If you heard just those words, you might think this was a military academy.  After all, soldiers report for duty; and when someone has spent time working for a branch of the military, we usually thank them for their service.

But duty and service aren’t just military terms.  The word duty comes from Latin and old French and has the same root as the word “due,” as in a debt that is owed, is due to be paid.  So, a duty is something you owe to somebody. 

And the English word service has its origins in the Latin word for slave, servus.  So, service is an act of humility, working for someone or something as though they were our master.

Now, duty and service aren’t very popular today in America.  Most people would rather talk about our rights—what others owe us—than our duties; and would rather be a master than a slave, given the choice.  And yet, performing one’s duties in military service is still regarded as one of the highest honors. 

I wonder, can you think of anything you owe your country or your fellow citizens, such that the only appropriate response is to humbly serve in some way?  How, other than being a soldier, can we be dutiful in service?

Give it some thought…and have a wonderful day.