Duty

In an episode of The West Wing, one character trying to recollect a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta refers to it as, "one of the ones about duty." The reply was, "They're all about duty." An apt allusion, as West Wing episodes and their characterisations are all about duty.

In my ad hoc taxonomy, every population divides into two flavours: Those driven by a sense of duty and those motivated by a sense of entitlement. (It's unfortunate that many see union members as entitlement driven. My experience is the opposite: Unionists are overwhelmingly duty driven — duty to their fellows and their fellows' welfare, their trade.)

To children we say, "with privileges come responsibilities" — a quid pro quo. For the philosophers, however, duty holds a more substantive place. In his Enchiridion (manual), for example, Epictetus's 'duties' are inextricably tied to relationships: "In this manner, therefore, you will find, from the idea of a neighbor, a citizen, a general, the corresponding duties...."

Commitment to duty is blind to political affiliation and deaf to any particular religious doctrine. "Someone you can count on," refers to a person motivated by duty. These are the colleagues (collaborators, subordinates, and bosses) to seek out. ▪

When the weak want to give an impression of strength
they hint menacingly at their capacity for evil.
—Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)