With this article I would like to contemplate on the meaning and importance of the “Four Way Test” Rotarians are expected to applicate in their social and business lives; a seemingly simple test that in practice often appears to be a rather complex one.
What you are going to read below is my personal point of view, based on my own knowledge and experience, and is in no way intended to be directive towards Rotary as an organization or to you, fellow Rotarians, as individuals.
Rotary International states that, as a Rotarian, with everything you THINK, SAY and DO you should ask yourself,
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIP?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
When this test is discussed a good number of Rotarians (as well as non Rotarians) state their opinion that this test basically is 'meaningless', an opinion that appears mainly to be based on the thesis that ‘Truth’ is relative to personal opinions and, therefore, that there is no such thing as THE Truth. The same goes for ‘Fairness’ and ‘Benefice’.
To state that there is no such thing as THE truth, that ‘truth’, ‘fairness’ and ‘benefice’ is relative to a pure personal point of view, is correct of course. Asking oneself the question “Is it the truth and fair to all concerned” with the intention to reach consensus on a non existing, common truth and fairness of one's of words and actions to all concerned, is a useless exercise indeed.
So for myself I have merged these first two question of the test into another one, which hopefully expresses its 'true' meaning in a more comprehendible way.
Are my thoughts, words and acts TRULY FAIR to all concerned?
(read: are they truly fair based on all concerned versions of the truth?)
If this question can be answered with “Yes” it automatically implies the building of GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIP, which of course is BENEFICAL to all parties concerned.
In this respect the Four Way Test could also be referred to as the ONE WAY Test, One Question covering it all!
The true meaning of this One Question is that first of all one should try to determine how one’s thoughts about the subject and others concerned with it came into being and grew. To do this one needs to be honest with oneself, bearing in mind that there is only one way, namely the principle of “Service above Self”, that will build personal goodwill and better friendships, with, in the end, a beneficial outcome for all parties concerned.
Personal truths are primarily based on [the results of] personal experiences with other people, starting right from the moment of one's birth; with each of these experiences one experiences emotions that, in a certain extent, will feed one’s thoughts. The stronger the experienced emotions (which may be positive or negative) the ‘truer’ one’s personal opinion ('the truth') about others involved is bound to become - and based on this, the more ‘just’ one’s words and (re)actions towards them seem to become - true and just seen from the starting, personal point of view; not seldom this point of view fits in perfectly with a 'group-opinion', in the context of the specific social, political or religious group one 'belongs' to - something which will strengthen one's personal convincement of 'the truth' about others and being 'fair' to them.
Does it sometimes happen that others cause you problems? Can you hold others responsible for the circumstances of your social or business life?
If you answered these questions with “Yes” then it is your personal truth that certain problems in your life can and will be caused by others. Based on this personal truth your thoughts, words and actions towards those others who supposedly caused your problems, automatically seem to be fair, however only to you – in which case your own, personal truth becomes leading over those of others; as a result a general fairness of words and actions is devaluated to a pure, personal fairness which only serves the Self – not the others! In such a situation it is doubtful if one’s words and acts will build personal goodwill and better friendship.
Just like the “Four Way Test” the single question of the “One Way Test” should be based on the universal, spiritual principle of “Service above Self” – short for “Service to Others above Service to the Self” – at any time and in ALL situations.
And there we are, we have landed right at the roots from which the Rotary organization has grown, Spiritual Principles!
It was the Rosicrucian Order, familiar with the spiritual principles and the universal, mathematical laws that rule these principles, that caused the birth of the Rotary organization.
Those who are not acquainted with the spiritual principles and the universal laws that rule them, or those who are prejudiced against them for whatever reason, more often than not judge these principles and laws as nonsense, or at the best as theories.
However, the spiritual principles and laws involved are anything but nonsense or theories. They are FACTS, no matter one’s viewpoint. The Rosicrucians discovered already ages ago that the effects of thoughts, words and acts are generated and ruled by objective, mathematical laws. Through the ages these effects have been observed by the Rosicrucians. Based on the observed effects the Rosicrucians have mapped and tested the laws involved and applicated them in their lives. And it appeared that the effects of one’s thoughts, words and acts are predictable - in “Service to Others” as well as in “Service to the Self” situations.
If “Service above Self” is applicated in accordance with these spiritual principles and laws, symbolically summarized with the Four Way Test (the One Question Test), it will always lead to goodwill, better friendship, and beneficial situations for all concerned.
On the other hand, “Service to the Self” actions will irrevocably lead to the loss of personal goodwill and the loss of friendships, in social circles as well as in business; likewise the seemingly beneficial effects of “Service to the Self” actions, which are short-term effects, in the end always turn into situations which are exponentially non beneficent to the Self.
No one can prove the existence of these laws and the predictability of the effects to you but yourself. Getting familiar with these spiritual principles and laws, testing them, and applicating them in your own life, is the only way to experience it and to get convinced of the predictability of the effects.
It goes to far to discuss the universal, mathematical laws involved in detail in this article (you can find enough material on this subject on the Internet, in bookshops, and in the Rosicrucian Library of San Jose, USA). However they can be summarized as follows,
Basically, all thoughts and emotions are nothing but electromagnetic energy vibrations. Right from the moment you start to think of a subject you automatically connect yourself with that subject of your thoughts (you ‘give it energy’ so to speak) - and you stay connected with it. That subject may be a person, an object, or an abstraction such as an idea, an opinion, a ‘truth’, and so on.
This electromagnetic energy vibrates with a certain frequency, within a certain bandwidth; positive thinking, speaking and acting (as in Service to Others) is characterized by positive (high) vibrations and negative thinking, speaking and acting (as in Service to the Self) is characterized by negative (low) vibrations.
Positive vibrations in this respect always attract positive situations and circumstances, negative vibrations always attract negative situations and circumstances.
The velocity with which these situations and circumstances materialize, depend among others on the period of time you spend on nursing specific lines of thought and the frequency and intensity with which you feed emotional energy to the subject of your thoughts within that period of time.
Regardless of opinions – nonsense or no-nonsense - the irrevocable effects of either way of life, a life dedicated to ‘Service to Others’ or to ‘Service to the Self’, cannot be denied; they are there, again and again visible in a very obvious way.
Warm Regards,
Nescio.
June 2007.
- Reactions: nescio@wonderfulbali.com
