ARE WE FAILING THE FOUR-WAY TEST?

ARE WE FAILING THE FOUR-WAY TEST?
by Paul Moore

Is it the truth?

Is it fair to all concerned?

Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

The Rotary Four-Way Test was written in 1932 by Herbert J. Taylor as he was tasked with saving the Club Aluminum Company, which was in bankruptcy.  It was a distributor of cookware.  He wrote the four-way test in an attempt to develop a positive corporate culture, and he succeeded.  Taylor later became the President of Rotary International and brought the test to Rotary.

I have been a Rotarian since 1976 and the Four-Way Test has stood alongside the Scout Law as touchstones throughout my adult years.  When those were written (1910 and 1932) much of the communication between humans was face to face or in print media.  In the decades since, many other forms of communication have become commonplace.  Much has been written about one’s willingness to say things in social media that one would not say face-to-face with a fellow human.

If the Four-Way Test is applied to the things we initiate or encounter, what grade would be appropriate?  Truthfulness. Fairness, Friendliness, and Mutually beneficial are important concepts if civility has a place in our lives.  Are we passing or failing?  Is our society passing or failing?  In a time of political division, these concepts are more important than ever.

I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to apply the Four-Way Test to the things we think, say, and do.  We will all be better for it.