I have been thinking a great deal lately about this question of ‘service.’  Being of service throughout my life, what that looks like, what it truly means.

For many years I have thought it meant giving fully to the community, being of help when someone needs it, supporting what requires support, yearning to ‘be better’.

And much of that is true.

But recently I have been looking at the concept of being in service from a different perspective.  From its foundation rooted within each of us. From the perspective of Life flowing through me, being experienced by me and being shared.  I am the only Bari Hochwald that ever was and will ever be. And, in the history of apparently over 100,000,000,000 people* who have already been born, lived and died on this planet that is a tremendous statement.  On one hand it can make me feel quite small and insignificant.  My time over 200,000 years of modern human history is and will be quite short.  But there never has been and never will be a Bari Hochwald during all that time or in whatever time is laid out for mankind in the future.

And that is where my service truly arrives from.  This knowledge that I have something unique to offer: my feelings, my perspectives, my talents and gifts, my sensitivities, passions, my intellect.  What enormously valuable commodities these are. And these values should not be wasted or suppressed.  They should be generously shared.

When I turn my view toward The Global Theatre Project with this approach to service in mind, I understand why I created it.  Because The GTP is entirely about the evolution of service in every individual who works with us, studies with us or attends one of our events.  We are asking all who involve themselves with our work, on any level of involvement, to wake up to their own capacity by recognizing similar capacities in our fellow occupants of this planet.  We are asking our artists, our students and our audiences to be of service.

And I am seeing now that this sort of service, when embraced, evokes a high level of celebration.  It is the celebration of the capacity of human beings to live at their utmost individual expression.  And in this way, enhance the experience of all of us who share this planet both at the time that we live, and possibly for a period of time after we die. For myself, if I don’t honor this chance to serve, I miss the point, the opportunity and the glory of living.

This has been on my mind lately.  Particularly as we prepare to participate in the Belarusian Dream Theater project.  Particularly as we think about the approach we will take with our students, with our audience.  And the approach that I will take with our artists.

I think about service. And it fills me with hope.

*according to the Population Reference Bureau