Rights and obligations are correlative terms. Whatever others have a just right or title to claim from me, that is my duty, or what I am obliged to do to them. - John Witherspoon
The idea that has struck me most since launching Project Pietas is how necessary community is to the practice of duty. It is possible to learn and exercise contentment in isolation, but most aspects of duty require us to serve others in some capacity. If, as the great thinkers we study hold to be true, we find meaning and fulfillment through discharging our duties, then community is essential to realizing our full potential.
We see this dynamic at work in our own families. Whenever our families expand through marriage or the birth or adoption of a child, we find that our responsibilities increase exponentially. In our more selfish moments, we might lament this loss of “freedom” and blame our spouse or child for our unhappiness and restlessness.
But as we cultivate our consciences through the study and practice of pietas, we learn to embrace these expanded responsibilities as the avenues through which meaning manifests. Instead of burdens, we view spousal and parental duties as gifts to be cherished. We become less concerned with our own success and reputations because we are more concerned with the good of those we are charged to care for. Every compliment directed toward our child or spouse means ten times more than those directed at us. We want the best for their families, even if it means the spotlight is never on us. The approbation of our consciences is more than reward enough.
This accurate understanding of duty as the means by which we realize our full potential as moral beings is the antidote to a culture of self-centeredness and self-promotion. There is nothing wrong with reaping the rewards of hard work, but the lives we impact are infinitely more important than the profit we gain.
Find your community, serve it, and in doing so find fulfillment.