David Postic, left, and other members of the Rotaract and Interact Committee had fun posing for this photo in December at Rotary’s headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Rotary International/Alyce Henson
By David Postic, a member of the Rotaract and Interact Committee and a past president of the Rotaract Club of Norman, Oklahoma, USA
We all know and love The Four-Way Test. In many ways, it’s an improvement on the age-old golden rule that you should treat others the way you wish to be treated. It’s a guide for living, a tool for decision making, a moral code. While Rotary has been served well by these four questions, they may not be enough in an era in which Rotary is trying to appeal to more people and have a broader impact.
There is another crucial question that we as Rotary members must always ask ourselves, and it is this: Is it fun? This is the question I ask myself with everything I do. If it isn’t fun, I don’t do it. Some people may scoff at that mentality, but in my mind, life is too short to waste on things I don’t enjoy. There are a hundred other organizations I could be a part of. If Rotary isn’t fun, why should I join? And if I am already a member, but I’m not having fun, why should I stay?
Of course, I speak for myself, and perhaps I can also presume to speak for other young people. But I imagine that how I feel is also how many Rotary members feel all over the world. We all want to have fun while serving the sick, the impoverished, the embattled, and the hungry. And in my experience, Rotary can be the most fun part of my life.
But often, clubs become so entrenched in their habits that they forget to have fun. If Rotary isn’t fun, how can we light a fire in the hearts of our members? How can we increase our membership? How can we survive? We must constantly ask ourselves: Is what we are doing fun?
This may not be a question fit for enshrining in the codes of Rotary, and perhaps it doesn’t even warrant recitation at weekly meetings. However, it’s probably the most important question we can ask ourselves when making decisions in our clubs. What we do in Rotary is not primarily for our own benefit, but people must enjoy Rotary if it is to survive. This is the real golden rule of Rotary clubs: If what we do isn’t fun, then it’s not worth doing.
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Sgt. Don Zielenski, U.S. Army, an Afganistan Wounded Warrior, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at its June 23, 2015 meeting. Sgt. Zielenski discussed his family, his service to our country, his injury and his recovery in his talk. He suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), when a booby-trapped concrete roof fell on him while on a mission in Afganistan. As a result of that injury, he has had multiple surgeries, has lost 90% of the sight in one eye and has severe hearing loss in one ear. We are lucky to have him with us and especially lucky that he was able to speak to the Rotary Club. Zgt. Zielenski is shown in the photo to the right during his talk. We thank him for speaking to our club and for his serice to our country..jpg)
