Service is relieving suffering wherever you find it. In broken bodies. In troubled minds. In empty bellies. In empty lives.
Service is love made manifest.
Service is where we come from, as well as what we do. It is right attitude and right action, and both need to be fully engaged for us to be effective. There are a number of different activities that answer to the name of service, and it is worthwhile to differentiate between them. Conditional service is doing good to fulfill the expectations of a role, because you are a mother, a member of the church, etc. But all this is nothing new.