Duty
In the words of Goethe, duty is carrying on promptly and faithfully the affairs now before you. It is to fulfill the claims of today. One should do the duty which lies nearest to one. Duty is the grandest of ideas because it implies the idea of God, of the soul, of liberty, of responsibility, of immortality. One should do one’s duty earnestly and whole-heartedly and leave the reward to God. Exactness in little duties is a great and abiding source of cheerfulness. The path of duty is the path of glory and divinity. The scope of duty is unlimited; the duty of man to God and his country, the duty of a person to his neighbours and colleagues, the duty of a king to his subjects, the duty of parents to their children, the duty of children to their parents, the duty of teachers to their students, the duty of students to their teachers, the duty of a master to his servant, the duty of a servant to his master and so on and so forth. In short, every man, probably at every moment, has some duty to perform. The path of duty is not in the least the path of ease or least resistance. It is rather a path of self-sacrifice, discipline, application, persistence, and patience. Who is not familiar with the ever glowing example of Nelson in the field of duty? He laid down his life for duty. When Nelson died, it was his chief consolation that he never failed in his duty to England. If we don’t do our duties, we cannot remain happy and healthy. Duty performed is a moral tonic; if neglected, the tone and strength of both mind and heart are weakened and the spiritual health undermined.
