Advice+Dissent

VIEWPOINT

Bridge to Public Service

It's up to civil servants to tell young people about the great opportunity to change lives and the nation.

The following are excerpts from a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in her acceptance of the Elliot Richardson Prize from the Council for Excellence in Government in March.

Elliot Richardson, former U.S. attorney general, knew that ours is a nation built on pride in sacrifice and commitment to shared values-on a willingness of its cit izens to give of their time and energy for the good of the whole. He knew that there is no greater contribution than a life of dedication to public service. We are the nation that we are today because those bridge builders of the past gave of themselves in a way that really mattered.

To be sure, the work of bridge building can be as taxing as it is rewarding. These efforts can call for sacrifice-sometimes emotional, sometimes finan cial, sometimes personal. Those who choose the life of public service open themselves to public review.

Sometimes, I'm sorry to report, the nation that we aim to serve is not content with our efforts. But the ever-present understanding that you are a part of something bigger than yourself, and that your efforts are paving the way for those who will follow, makes a life of public service worth the bumps along the way. We cannot expect that a single gen eration of public servants will be able to bridge the gaps of inequality and injustice.