I’d like to share a story about one of the reasons I decided to join Rotary. In the early 2000s, I read a book by Victor Frankl titled “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
Dr. Victor Frankl was a remarkable man whose life's work resonates with the core values of Rotary. A psychiatrist from Vienna, he endured the unimaginable suffering of four concentration camps during the Holocaust.
While imprisoned, he faced a pivotal moment that speaks to us as Rotarians. Frankl realized that even in the most despairing circumstances, one could find meaning through choosing a purposeful path. He found that a man's inner decisions, not his external conditions, defined his worth.
"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
Upon his liberation, Frankl wrote "Man's Search for Meaning." This book wasn't just a recounting of his experiences but a message of hope, love, and finding purpose. It's a message that echoes the very principles we hold dear in Rotary.
Rotary values service above self, integrity, and compassion. We seek to create a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change. Dr. Frankl's journey, his insights, his relentless pursuit of meaning - they align with our mission, our vision, our core values.
Just as Victor Frankl turned suffering into wisdom, Rotary turns compassion into action. His life and his teachings stand as a testament to what Rotary seeks to achieve in communities around the world.