Serving Is Different From Helping And Fixing

 Lets look at it from the receiver's view. If i was the receiver, which would i prefer to say: "Thanks for serving me" or "Thanks for helping me" ?

 Dear Rajesh,

 Do you need to be thanked when serving someone? Or is that an ego game? I have a very dear friend that gets VERY annoyed if she is not thanked when she does something for someone. Personally, I just serve others and if they wish to thank me, that is their deal. I just do what I do. 

Dear Rev. Nagi and friends,

While i am trying to move towards not being thanked, i must say being acknowledged today does motivate me. And i don't just mean getting thanked, but if i get a chance to talk about it in a circle or mention the (sum of) experience(s), even as people acknowledge that this is 'just what i do' i do thrive on the positive feedback and use it to keep going.

It might be an ego game, and it might include a part of establishing a connection, even a temporary bond.

What i was trying to see from the receivers viewpoint was that the semantics do change. If we are making a distinction between serving and helping, and i can see how that can be important, we also should see the distinction (if any) for the receiver. The same words reverse. I would (and feel that others would) rather say "Thank you for helping" than "Thank you for your service". Even if the service was done anonymously, we are still inclined to say "Thanks for the help i received today" than "Thanks for the service i received today".

I should want to move towards my prayers including "Thanks for the ecoystem services provided today"!