The loss of Robin Williams doesn’t bring much happiness to very many people, but he did bring millions of smiles to millions of people during his life time. How sad that someone who spread such good cheer should take his own life due to depression. And what how does that relate to Rotary?
A million Rotarians spend a million hours every week attending a Rotary meeting and many more hours participating in Rotary projects and social events. Without a doubt there are a few frowns among that group, but the vast majority come away with a smile, a laugh and a feeling of well-being. As good as Robin Williams was a creating smiles and laughs, we accomplish the same every week and in the process we create smiles and laughs for ourselves.
That should be a central purpose for every Rotary leader and every Rotarian. Through our fellowships we create smiles and satisfaction for our members. Through our fundraising and projects we create a sense of accomplishment and well-being for those we help and ourselves. Keeping those ideas in mind as our central purpose will help offset the loss of someone like Robin Williams and Rotary will never die.