If you are on Facebook, as I am, you know that we live in an intolerant, in-your-face time, where otherwise good-hearted people are quick to post extreme memes and enter your page to attack you. There seems to be little middle ground, and those folks seem to remain quiet if there is a middle ground.
My recent visit to the Valdosta Rotary at the Rainwater Conference Center in Valdosta was a genuinely enriching experience. I was there to support Jackie Shoemaker, the executive director of our local American Red Cross South-Central District.
Jackie’s presentation was impressive and a powerful reminder of the positive impact of the American Red Cross, of which I am a volunteer leader, when we come together. I left the event deeply grateful for the American Red Cross, the Rotary International organizations’ work, and the volunteers who made it possible.
These service organizations, including Rotary International, the Kiwanis Club, the Exchange Club, the Lions Club, the Optimist Club, and others, hold a special place in my heart. I was a former member and Paul Harris Fellow of the Torrance Rotary in Southern California.
Back in 1968-1969, as a student at Lake City Junior College and Forest Ranger School in Lake City, Florida, subsequently named Lake City Community College, and more recently known as Florida Gateway College, I had the honor of serving as the president of Circle K Club, a remarkable college organization sponsored by the local chapter of Kiwanis International, and I would frequently attend the Kiwanis luncheons.
All these service organizations have their creeds that are instructive. I encourage you to Google them.
While at the Valdosta Rotary, unlike my past club in Southern California, the meeting began with everyone reciting the Rotary Creed, which is:
“The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do
First, Is it the TRUTH?
Second, Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Third, Will it build Good Will and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Fourth, Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”
This chapter added a fifth verse, “Is it FUN?”
While I usually draw my inspiration from the Bible, these service organizations have well-thought-out creeds that deserve our attention. If we follow their instructive wisdom, we will live better, happier lives.
Burton Fletcher, JD, MBA, is a local writer heavily involved in the Valdosta and Lowndes County area. He is a retired full professor of business administration with lifetime college teaching credentials in business and industrial management, marketing and distribution, and law, and he is an emeritus attorney member of the State Bar of Georgia. Burton is the president, founder, and executive director of the Burton Fletcher Foundation for Animals, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, www.BurtonFletcherFoundation.org, and can be reached at Burton@BurtonFletcherFoundation.org.
No comment yet, add your voice below!