Happy New Year! New Year’s Resolutions, goals, and aspirations are as important at the beginning of a new year as they are any time of year! As friends and family members make promises to do better in the year ahead, the words of a favorite author, Kent Keith, came to my mind. I recently shared this summary at work and I’d like to pass it along to the Rotary community as well.
The Paradoxical Commandments were written by Kent Keith in 1968, when he was 19, a sophomore at Harvard College. They were part of The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council, his first booklet for high school student leaders. "I laid down the Paradoxical Commandments as a challenge," Keith said. "The challenge is to always do what is right and good and true, even if others don't appreciate it. You have to keep striving, no matter what, because if you don't, many of the things that need to be done in our world will never get done." This is a wonderful piece of writing by anyone at any age. But the fact that it was written by a 19 year old and his words are as relevant today as they were back in 1968 is simply amazing.
So amazing, in fact, that Mother Teresa took note too. It was reported in a 1995 essay that she had The Paradoxical Commandments pinned to the wall of her children's home in Calcutta and loved it so much that she adapted her own version "Do It Anyways." Now that's high praise for any author!
Here is Dr. Keith's original text. With these words in mind, let's continue to strive to do what is right and good and true so that we can make our communities and our world better places. When we find challenges in our Rotary clubs, committees, and service work, let these words provide some perspective and support for doing what is right!
The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
If you were a super hero, what would your super powers be? As Rotarians, we have MANY super powers! We are The Eradicators, eradicating polio from the face of the planet. We are the Fearless Super Readers, bringing literacy to youth everywhere. We are H20 Masters, bringing water to the farthest reaches of the world. We are Professor Peace, advocating for local, national, and global solutions. The Rotary District 7390 Conference will celebrate many super heroes of our past, present, and future.
Meet Super Rotarian, Evan Burrell, who is making a difference by leaps and bounds! Meet local Rotarians whose efforts seem to go beyond the boundaries of mere mortal accomplishments.
It's a jet. It's a plane. No, it's ROTARY! Super powers will activate on Friday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m.!
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg will kick off the 2018 RMB season on Tuesday, January 16 at the Wyndham Gettysburg, 95 Presidential Circle, Gettysburg, PA. The business networking event will cost $15 per attendee (no refunds), and this includes an amazing array of hors d'oeuvres along with a cash bar. The event will start at 5:30 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. Click here to RSVP NOW! Make great business connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests!
The most powerful force in the promotion of international understanding and peace is exposure to different cultures. The world becomes a smaller, friendlier place when we learn that all people — regardless of nationality — desire the same basic things: a safe, comfortable environment that allows for a rich and satisfying life for our children and ourselves. Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet people from other lands and to experience their cultures. This plants the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding.
The deadline to complete a STEP (Short-term) application has been extended to Monday, January 15, 2018.
Summer 2018 STEP applications are due to the District office by January 15, 2018. Interviews for STEP students will be held Saturday, January 27, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the PA United Church Center (900 S. Arlington Ave, Harrisburg).
Scholarships For International Study from Area Rotary Clubs
Applications for the 2018-19 Rotary Foundation Global Scholarships are now available from Rotary Clubs in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties and from the Rotary District 7390 District office headquartered in York.
Rotary Global Scholars must study abroad in one of the six Areas of Focus of The Rotary Foundation:
1. Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution
2. Disease Prevention and Treatment
3. Water and Sanitation
4. Maternal and Child Health
5. Basic Education and Literacy
6. Economic and Community Development
The scholarships, which are designed to further international understanding and goodwill, provide for study abroad in more than 200 countries and geographic areas where Rotary Clubs are located. The Rotary District 7390 Scholarship Committee will award one scholarships for 2018-19.
Rotary Global Scholarships are generally for one academic year abroad and provide funding for round-trip transportation, tuition and fees, room, board, some educational supplies, and language training (if necessary), up to a maximum award of $30,000 or its equivalent. Click here for more information.
The Rotary Foundation Global Scholarship program is the world’s largest privately sponsored international scholarship program. Focused on humanitarian service, personal diplomacy, and academic excellence, the program has sponsored more than 40,000 Rotary Scholars abroad since it began in 1947.
For more information contact the Rotary District 7390 Office: E-mail: office@rotary7390.org, telephone: (717) 854-7842, Fax: (717) 854-6938 or mail: 515 South George Street, York, PA 17401-2723. Interested individuals may also consult the Rotary web site at www.rotary.org,.
Applications must be submitted through a local Rotary club in the area of the applicant’s legal or permanent residence or place of full-time study or employment. Rotary clubs must then submit the endorsed application to the District Chair by January 13, 2018. Interviews will be held on February 17, 2018 in York, PA.
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If you were a super hero, what would your super powers be? As Rotarians, we have MANY super powers! We are The Eradicators, eradicating polio from the face of the planet. We are the Fearless Super Readers, bringing literacy to youth everywhere. We are H20 Masters, bringing water to the farthest reaches of the world. We are Professor Peace, advocating for local, national, and global solutions. The Rotary District 7390 Conference will celebrate many super heroes of our past, present, and future. 
