Above the Clouds
By Frank Deaver
Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa, Alabama USA
 

     Sometimes it seems all the news is bad news.  Civilian and military deaths in Iraq; a devastating cyclone in Myanmar; widespread earthquake destruction in China; and ongoing torture and killings in Sudan and Congo.   Unchecked starvation and disease are ravishing populations in some of the poorest of countries.  Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands are dying.  Even more are wounded, and millions are made homeless.

     Is there no good news in today’s world?  Or are we so inundated with bad news that we fail to see the good?

     A man walking along the street happened to see a coin on the ground.  Bending to pick it up, he thought how fortunate he was.  So as he walked on, he looked constantly to the ground, hoping to find other coins.  At the end of the day, he had two coins.

     But what little he gained was at great sacrifice, for looking only down, he failed to see the trees and birds, the mountains and clouds, the flowers and friendly faces.  He failed to see the good because he wasn’t looking.

     Human suffering cannot and must not be ignored.  But Rotarians can and must also look up and see the opportunities and possibilities that lie beyond the tragedies.  In response to the tsunami of December 2004, Rotary districts and clubs in nearby countries were immediately on hand, pouring manpower as well as materials into the relief effort.  But Rotarians from around the world added their assistance, not only in immediate relief but in long-range rebuilding.  While addressing the needs within a tragedy, they also looked ahead to renewed opportunities.

     Rotarians routinely respond to needs with an outpouring of support to the victims of disaster or violence.  Simultaneously, Rotarians look beyond those immediate needs to envision a better, brighter world.  In addition to providing medical/surgical care for victims of polio, Rotary looked ahead to a world without polio, without the victims who would need care.

     The story is told of a little girl who had a potentially fatal heart condition, and needed treatment at a distant location – but her family was unable to afford transportation.  A local organization (we’d like to think it was a Rotary Club) offered airfare for the girl and her mother.  The girl had never before flown.

     As the plane reached its cruising altitude, the little girl stared out the window, and exclaimed in amazement, “Look, mother.  Above the clouds the sun is always shining, and the sky is always blue.”

     Therein is a lesson for Rotarians.  The clouds of human suffering are real, and cannot be ignored.  But above and beyond those clouds, the sun is bright with optimism, and the blue sky of opportunity encourages Rotarians in ongoing dedication to service.