We are all guided in life by basic and personal principles of beliefs that define who we are as a person. These principles constitute the fundamental building blocks of who we are and what we stand for. Eventually they describe us as the person we become. Philosophers refer to these as virtues, religious faiths ascribe these as morality and, for most people, they are the values we cultivate, reflecting our persona. And the person we become is shaped by our thoughts, words, action and beliefs.
We do things because we believe in what we do. It provides us a reason for living. The Japanese refer to this attraction as ikigai, the reason for being. Iki in Japanese means life, and gai describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or your bliss. It’s what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day!
Rotary’s ikigai is best described by its motto: Service Above Self. There is also a moral attractiveness to Rotary’s work, best described in another Rotary expression: One Profits Most Who Serves Best. And any assessment of Rotary’s contributions over the century will speak volumes of these most fundamental of Rotary’s beliefs and actions.
That is why Rotary attracts many followers. Its fundamental mission is community service in virtually every sphere of human endeavour. And the glue that binds the over one million Rotarians to contribute to this most noble undertaking is the common belief that each one of us can contribute to a better world. We believe that we can transform the world into a safer, healthier, more literate, peaceful and cleaner habitat for the community, especially the newer generations into the future. Rotarians believe in what they do, and they do what they believe in!
Because of Rotary’s transparency of its fundamental beliefs the movement is an open book. It welcomes any person who believes he or she can contribute to enlist as members, embrace the fellowship of like-minded people and share in the common journey of making a difference in the lives of others.
Moved by the spirit of community service the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya therefore welcomes into membership adults who believe that they can also make the difference. The club is a microcosm of Malaysian society, multi-ethnic and multi-faiths, across generations and gender equality. It truly reflects the Malaysian family. It reaches out and invites members of the community who believe in contributing service to benefit the less advantaged, and who are prepared to take action to do what they believe in. If you share this belief, Rotary can help you translate belief into action. Take the first step and WhatsApp us at +6016-748 8681 or email us at rotarypj@gmail.com.
Written by
Dr. Tarcisius Chin
Past President 1991/92
