MAKE A DIFFERENCE
At Ash Wednesday services this week, our pastor began his sermon with, "You are all going to die." Not a real revelation there. Indeed, that is the principal message of Ash Wednesday-from dust you came and to dust you will return. Nevertheless, it is not usually stated in such a direct fashion. We know it is intellectually true, but we live most of our lives avoiding the reality of that statement. I once read an article about a group of WWII fighter pilots who had gone through training and were about to be assigned to their combat units. The military wanted to know what psychological makeup made a good fighter pilot, so they gathered them together and told them that within 6 months, 9 out of 10 of them would be killed in combat. They then interviewed them individually and asked what their immediate thought was to that revelation. The overwhelming response, in one fashion or another, was, "I am really going to miss those guys." That's us! We intellectually know we are going to die, but it generally doesn't sink in as an imminent reality.
The line did prompt me to think. What if I lead my life with that thought at the forefront of my thinking? What would I do differently? I think most of all I would try to make a greater effort to make a difference-a difference in my family's lives, those of my friends, and the people around me, but how? As a Rotarian, I am feel that I am making a difference in Aurora, in Nepal, in Romania, in Ecuador, and a thousand other places that I will never know. Yet, all of us, Rotarians or not, can and should do more, but I don't know how much more time and effort I can put in myself. Then it struck me-Harvey, you need to clone yourself! Not literally, in a creepy, sci fi way, but by sharing the experience of Rotary with another person. I could and should invite someone to be a member of Rotary. If we all did that, the amount of difference we make through Smoky Hill Rotary would quite literally double. Twice as many kids could receive school clothes. Twice as many communities around the world would receive clean water. Twice as many maternity hospitals would receive life giving medical equipment. Twice as many families of sick kids would receive the emotional support they need. Talk about making a difference! And all it takes is an invitation to lunch some Monday. Make a difference. Clone yourself. Invite a friend or associate to Rotary.