Bob Braitman

Karen, today you are being admitted as a full member of the Rotary Club of Ventura South. From now on you are a part of the large family of Rotary International which has members, literally, all over the world. The Rotary Family to which you now belong is present in more countries than are in the United Nations.

We Rotarians welcome you with the same joy as that of a new family member who has been brought into our home. Rotary is a family that dwells in a house that hides nothing inside its walls and from which you can see the sun and the stars because its roof is wide open. You are being welcomed into a family where no one will ask you from which country you come or who your God is.

The life of the Rotary family comes from its members. New members ensure the future of Rotary. The only demand that is made of a Rotarian is to serve humankind. To serve is our ideal. The Motto of Rotary, Service Above Self is the code by which we try to live.

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the Ideal of Service as a basis of worthy enterprise. In particular we encourage and foster:

Developing acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
Promoting high ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his or her occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
Applying the ideal of service by every Rotarian to their personal, business and community life.
Advancing international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
Since 1905, when four Chicago businessmen developed the concept of Rotary, the ideal of Service Above Self has flourished through over 28,000 Rotary Clubs in 156 countries around the world. Today you join over 1.2 million men and women committed to the ideals of Rotary which is manifested through their dedication of furthering their communities and personally volunteering their precious time, support and services around the world.

We welcome you, not only for the fine fellowship which we will share with you, but also for your enthusiasm and abilities which will help us carry out our mission to make our community, nation, and world a better place in which to live.

Please recognize, however, that while we can make you a member of our Rotary Club, we cannot make you a Rotarian. That is an honor and choice only you can make for yourself.

Rotarians were active in creating the United Nations. We have established a wide variety of charitable and humanitarian institutions. Rotary has raised nearly a quarter of a billion dollars over the years to provide immunizations to the world's children against polio and other childhood diseases. As a result, 145 countries in the world are now polio free.

Karen, you have been chosen for membership in the Ventura South Rotary because your fellow members believe you can manifest those qualities of mind and spirit that allow you to impart the message of Rotary. The community will know and judge Rotary by your embodiment of it in character and service and we accept you as a member because we know our principles are safe in your keeping.

It is my great pleasure on behalf of the members of the Rotary Club of Ventura South to invite you into a prestigious group of men and women dedicated to the ideals of Rotary and to welcome you as our newest member.

And so, at this time, I will ask Club Secretary and past President Scott Serbin to place on your lapel the Rotary pin. Wear it proudly.

And I am giving you a second Rotary pin. It is your job, and our challenge to you, to find another person who will join our Club and be able to wear their prestigious symbol.

I would also like Scott to present to you an induction package which includes the Four Way Test by which we all strive to live.

My fellow Rotarians, please join with me in welcoming Karen Campbell as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Ventura South.

Every day, one interacts with many people, but what guides the ways in which one interacts varies from person to person. Every person has the free will to do what they please. Therefore, the way one interacts with others is a direct result of their own aspirations. Whether a person is interacting in a positive or negative way is a result of their own will. Ideally, an individual's thoughts and actions are based upon an honest, fair, and harmony-inducing system. The "Rotary Four-Way Test" is a philosophy that superbly exemplifies a system for modeling one's life in a positive way. The "Rotary Four-Way Test" is built upon four questions one can ask oneself to ensure that in dealing with others, one is following the best path.

The first question posed by the four-way test is: "Is it the TRUTH?" This is perhaps the most important question a person can ask themself. It is the foundation for all the other questions asked after that. As is commonly stated, the truth is always better. When dealing with others, the truth is the first step in successful interaction. More importantly, however, it is imperative that one is honest with oneself. If a person lies to himself, he can not be honest in dealing with others. He will deny himself the reality of the world around him, and in turn cannot deal with others in an honest fashion. Without honesty, one cannot ask oneself the other three questions.

The next question is an extremely important, yet commonly overlooked issue. Many times, the question of whether or not it "is FAIR for all concerned" is disregarded simply because it is convenient to do so. Equality is an issue that reaches into every aspect of one's life. As soon as an individual is old enough to interact with others, he is constantly reminded of the importance of equality in ways as simple as sharing. However, the issue of fairness reaches all the way from waiting one's turn in line, to business, to education. It is usually in everyday interaction that the most inequality happens without even realizing it. The issue of equality is the foundation for the following considerations. Without justness, one cannot honestly abide by the next two questions.

In order to be successful in everyday socialization, one needs to always keep in mind whether or not what they say or do will build "GOODWILL and FRIENDSHIPS." An abrasive personality will never be beneficial in one's efforts to communicate. From community service to talking with one's parents, it is always pertinent that one trys to be as open minded as possible. This allows for harmony and friendship between the two parties. If a person keeps in mind whether or not they are being as sociable as they can, they will almost always induce a sense of harmony and companionship between the two parties.

To pose the question of whether or not it will be "BENEFICIAL to all concerned" coincides with the question of whether or not it is "FAIR to all concerned." If one asks himself the questions above, then he will more than likely be doing what is the most beneficial for all concerned. A person cannot build goodwill and friendships if he is only concerned with what is beneficial for himself. While the temptation will always be there to do the best for oneself, the most beneficial thing for others will almost always be the right thing to do. Since everyone has the free-will to do what he chooses, a person's true character is shown when he decides to do what is best for others.

"The Rotary Four-Way Test", much like the constitution, was designed to be a model to help one decide how he can most effectively make the decisions an individual is confronted with every day of his life. "The Rotary Four-Way Test/; has many parallels to the Constitution of the United States. Both wish to "establish justice, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity..."(preamble) Both of these sets of documents were written with the intentions of helping our fellow human beings. This message of dedication to humanity is the most important theme throughout "The Rotary Four-Way Test."