| Sarah Nietupski - 13 January 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rotary Essay Importance of Rotary’s 4-Way Test for One’s Success and Happiness A brisk wintry morning in the late of November marks a significant day every year for me; an extra special day of work. Creamy hot chocolate, thick layers of clothing, and warm, genial hearts are required to do this job. A satchel of papers is slung over my thick jacket; an old Tide container in my gloved hands for the goods. I stand out, as cars whiz by me, waiting for my first customer. A truck sputters up to a stop and rolls down his window; not automatically, but by cranking a lever that desperately needed oiling. A seasoned man with gray whiskers peers down at me, smiling with a few teeth, and says “Good mornin’ young lady!” I graciously smile back and say thank-you as he drops a few crinkled dollars and a half of pound of change into the bucket. The primeval truck stalls as he rolls up his window, the rusty engine creaking as he looks down and says, “That’s okay. My money’s where it should be.” We as human beings have a mindset for goals in our lives: to be successful and happy. We strive to achieve our vision of these goals through different paths in our journey of life. To reach the ultimate destination of these visions and goals, we must abide by the rules of humanity: to be ethical and righteous to all others no matter if they share our same hopes and dreams or not. We must be charitable, without feeling sympathy. We must stand for what we passionately believe in, without being ignorant. We must act insurmountable, without being arrogant. Everyday, we must ask ourselves, “Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOOD WILL and better FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?” To be truthful is to be honest and righteous in your actions. To me, participating in Goodfellows newspaper sales brings out the humanitarian in all of us; the ability to see the truth of the matter, which is the fact that not everyone is as well-off as we want to perceive. Sometimes you must look past what you want to hear. The world is not one big, happy place. The truth of that statement, though, is the fact that the world is full of loving and caring people who want to change the fate of the less fortunate; people who accept the fact that even though they may not be able to change the decrepit state that the world is in today, but want to comfort the lives of people in their community who are suffering. Those honest people will not turn their head on the chance to help someone in need. To be fair is to be ethical; to use unsurpassed judgment on how to conduct one’s self on issues at hand. Poverty is not fair to all concerned; poverty is the result of bad judgment on many accounts. It is not fair that people have to live a life by every pay check or sulk in misery when monthly bills arrive, especially when it’s not even their fault. Goodfellows work to ease the pain of the people living these horrendous lives. By selling newspapers in order to purchase food and gifts for the extreme hardships around Christmas time, Goodfellows commend the idea of fairness for those at a loss. For once, their kids are on the fair, even playing field with the rest of the kids in the world with the ability to have a Christmas filled with delectable food and presents. Every year, Goodfellows exceeds expectations and reaches out to more families in desperate need. To bring goodwill to families across the country is the daily goal of a Goodfellow. Goodwill is defined as helpfulness, kindness, and benevolence. Goodfellows help the community by putting others before themselves and sacrificing time and effort for the better hope of tomorrow. They are kind, amiable, approachable women and men who gleam with an aura of compassion. Goodfellows are benevolent individuals because they are generous at all costs. Standing in below freezing weather to ensure the sales of newspapers, Goodfellows promote goodwill throughout the community regardless of their sense of loss or feeling…in their fingers or toes. It also builds a sense of camaraderie between members. As Goodfellows, we work for the same aspiration, the same purpose, and the same rationale: to help the less fortunate or the well-deserving. This creates a feeling of accomplishment between members, which leads to lasting friendships. If a group of people work for the same goal, they are bound together by a sense of duty; that’s what Goodfellows are all about; bringing good will to the community and building friendships along the way. Across the world of Rotary and Goodfellows, it is a unanimous belief that the acts promoted by these care-givers are beneficial to all concerned. The endeavors I have taken a part in through Goodfellows have changed me, for the better, as a person. From standing on the streets of my town in brisk November, to packaging trash bags overflowing with presents for children to open on Christmas morning, I have been emotionally affected by the results. It has brought me down to Earth and painted a broader spectrum of what is right from wrong, selfish from wholesome, and what is truly worth fighting for in life. After volunteering, I feel a sense of self-accomplishment and warmth. I know that I share this feeling with anyone else participating in philanthropic organizations. This is true happiness in my eyes. As the elderly man lurches away in the old truck, the car that proceeded him impatiently pulls up to the stop sign, past the point where I stood. Too ashamed to look into my eyes, the woman of a gleaming-black Lexus swiftly drives past, making sure not to acknowledge my presence. Originally, I felt sorry for the old man; scrounging together nickels and dimes for someone he may never know. However, after watching that woman drive by, adorned in a fur coat and driving a brand-new Lexus, I realized who I truly felt sympathy for. Some people in this world will not feel the anguish of hunger or affliction; therefore they may never feel true compassion for those suffering nor the heart-felt reward of volunteering. Others, regardless of whether or not they can afford dinner tonight, will always put service before self; someone even less fortunate than themselves before their own well-being. In the end, that’s what I call, “true success.” |
|||