Session Fourteen
Session Description
Finding purpose in life usually requires working for something larger than ourselves. Leaders get what they want by helping others get what they want. This session explores the concept of service to others as leadership and asks several key questions: Is service a choice or an obligation? Why do we always associate good leaders with service? At what point in your life is it the correct time to start “paying it forward?” We will discuss the debt we owe to society, the urgency of social engagement and uncovering the personal fulfillment of service.
Objectives
By the end of this session, students will be able to:
Acknowledge and internalize the debt we owe our patrimony
Understand the benefits social engagement and service to others
Define a mission and purpose beyond ourselves
Articulate the structures of gratitude and it effect on the self
Pre-Reading
Read On Changing the National Ethos from Gratitude
Read The Debt blog post
Read the Structure of Gratitude
Watch the Stanley McCrystal video
Watch the Make a Difference video
Watch There's No Self-Made Man
Pre-Work
Complete Session Fourteen Workbook Pages
Blog Prompt
Reflect on our discussion today and your personal view on the issue. What do you see as the major barriers to a creating a system where a year of national service is a regular expectation of all citizens? Do you think that the country would be better off with such a program?