"I Am Only One"
By Frank Deaver
Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa, Alabama USA
Check in at any major hotel in the world, turn on
the television, and you are almost certain to find CNN, the Cable News Network
that has not only reported the news, but also helped shape world events. Nearly
30 years ago one man, Ted Turner, envisioned a 24-hour all-news network, and
changed the way the world sees breaking news. CNN is testimony to one man daring
to challenge contemporary thinking that such a news channel could not survive.
Countless other examples testify to major
accomplishments that originated with the vision and effort of only one person.
An idea is nurtured, tested, refined; and change is set in motion. Change begins
when that "only one person" steps forward with an idea, and puts that idea into
action.
- Paul Harris was only one person, but hee reached out to three friends for
fellowship and a century later Rotary includes more than 1.2 million who share
in fellowship and service.
- A New Zealand Rotarian was only one perrson, but he envisioned an exchange
for business and professional people, giving birth to Group Study Exchange.
- Marion Bunch was only one person, butt she individually challenged the
ravages of AIDS in Africa, and she inspired a Rotary effort to combat the
disease.
- An Interact student was only one personn, but she became concerned for the
Rotary PolioPlus program, and organized the "Midnight March for Polio
Eradication." From 8 p.m. to midnight, club members marched around the high
school athletic field, with recruited contributions for their participation. The
march delivered 2800 polio-fighting dollars to the sponsoring Rotary Club.
Examples are abundant, that "only one person" can change the world. Mother
Teresa brought hope to the destitute of Calcutta. Nelson Mandela influenced a
peaceful transition in South Africa. Martin Luther King inspired the American
civil rights movement. Each day, countless individuals quietly seize the moment:
only one teacher, one nurse, one doctor, one minister, one social worker. With
each decision, each act of service, each expression of compassion, it is
individuals who make this world a better place.
Sometimes "only one person," a nameless
individual, has changed the course of history. Only one vote gave Adolf Hitler
leadership of the Nazi Party. Only one vote kept Aaron Burr from becoming US
president and elected Thomas Jefferson. Only one vote gave statehood to Texas,
California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. "Only one vote" defined the outcome,
but who cast it? We cannot know, but that one person made a difference.
Countless other examples could be cited, but
what about each of us? I am only one; you are only one. We cannot do everything,
but we can do something; and there is no excuse for our doing nothing. Together
as Rotarians, there is virtually no limit to what we may accomplish. But each
Rotary effort must start with someone.
Mother Teresa perhaps said it best: "I alone
cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many
ripples." That is a challenge to Rotarians. Together we can accomplish much, but
the first stone must be cast by one Rotarian. Only one.
Rotary editorials published on this ROTI website
are archived at
rotaryfirst100.org/historians/deaver.htm
Any may be reprinted in Rotary publications, with credits.
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