Strange, isn’t it? How easy it is to get the wrong idea about things and people? Easier still in this age, when everyone can express their opinions on anything and anybody to hundreds or thousands with just a few taps on a keyboard.
“Lovely restaurant, delicious food, attentive staff. 10/10”
“Food was mediocre at best. Poor service. Would not go there again. 2/10”
Which opinion would you go with? You know nothing about the people who wrote the reviews. They could be ultra-critical foodies who rarely like anything not cooked by a chef with a Michelin star or two. They could be unused to dining out and so easily impressed. But you don’t know any of this when you read the review.
And you must have come across vastly differing ‘reviews’ of people.
“Lovely man, warm and friendly.”
“Rather cold and very dull, if you ask me.”
What you make of people depends quite a lot on what they make of you!
Ask a question on Facebook, like “Who would you recommend to fit solar panels?’ and you will get many answers –
“ Jim Jones did mine. Great job.”
“Peter Wilson all the time.”
These comments will tell you that Jim and Pete were pretty good but they might not be as good as, and could be much more expensive than, Andreas. So recommendations and reviews need to be taken with a pinch of salt (Pink Himalayan from Alphamega – the best)!
Anyway I need to drag this column back to my real topic – what do you know, or think you know, about Rotary Clubs and Rotarians? And what have you heard about them?
“My brother’s friend’s cousin used to be in Rotary and he told my brother all about it. Of course he shouldn’t have because it’s supposed to be a secret. They meet every week and you have to go or you get a big fine. They all wear dinner suits -no women, obviously – and have funny handshakes and passwords. You have to be invited to join and pass a test before they let you in. “
Well, as a Rotarian with over twenty years service I can tell you that scores 0/10 for accuracy.
Rotary welcomes all persons of goodwill – of every gender, race, age, language, country and religion. Cyprus Rotary Clubs are grouped with clubs in Europe and the Middle East (including Palestine) and could not be more diverse.
There are no hard and fast rules about attendance – people have lives to live and families to care for – but Rotarians attend meetings because they enjoy them and other members are also friends. Dress codes rarely exist as people are more important than the clothes they wear.
What is essential in a Rotarian is a commitment to Service – doing what we can to make the world a better place – through fundraising or direct action.
Being a Rotarian is not stressful, difficult or onerous. It is actually often uplifting, joyful and fun. It must be good as Rotarians find the notion of not being in Rotary unthinkable. If, like me, they move to a different location the first thing they do is search out a club to join – not too difficult as there are 46,000!
So now you know. And if we sound like your sort of people – normal, friendly, caring and positive – maybe you’d like to join us.
Ian Graves
Paphos Aphrodite Rotary Club
www.paphos-aphrodite-rotary.club
[email protected]
