Hang Your Hat With Rotary

I am not a futurist, I do not have visions of tomorrow, much less years to come. Yet, in some ways I do see huge changes coming. Excuse me, I really meant I see huge changes here and now. I am sure you do too.

Our world is not just upside down, it is in what seems to be a spiraling vortex. We are being pulled to a place we have never been before. That which was part of our day to day routine is now forbidden or at least strongly discouraged. We are frustrated, we are afraid, we want to know what the future holds and we have few solid answers.

How do we negotiate these days and the days to come? How do get back to where we were? How do we find the new normal?

Some are finding new answers. Some are expanding the ideas that they have been using for a while. Some are looking to figure out a way to reinvent what they already know and feel comfortable with.

The Rotary Club of San Saba has decided to move forward to keep our club alive in this new world. We are embracing technology. Our Board of Directors met this week using Zoom. Our club will meet this Thursday using the same technology. We have decided that we can move forward in our fellowship and planning even though we are not able to physically able to get together.

We are far from the only group to utilize this format. As I understand our teachers are meeting on a regular basis to keep our schools functioning and allowing our students to continue in their education. Churches are turning to Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms to get their message out to their congregants. Businesses are turning to work from home programs. Officials are utilizing computer/internet platforms that allow our government to continue providing services. We are moving to the future right here and now.

How do we as individuals respond? There was time, just days ago, when we could pretty much decide if we wanted to venture into the computer universe. Those days are over. The world around us is going to move forward. We can embrace technology or we can be left in the proverbial “cloud of dust”. Will this change be easy? Not for some, but those of us that have the ability must move forward.

Where will this take us? Only the true futurists have any idea where that may be. Here is what I see. School will utilize distance learning on a regular basis. Will our school go completely digital? I don’t believe so but they will utilize technology more and more. The good thing is our schools here in San Saba seem to be a bit ahead of the curve and moving quickly forward.

Businesses will discover that jobs that they required to be done in the office can be done just as effectively at home. What a great way to lower business cost and promote flexibility for employees.

Volunteer groups will reach out to interested people and utilize talent that they never had available to them.

Government may become more of what our forefathers envisioned, “Of the people, By the people, For the People”.

We will come out of this terrible challenge on top. It will have its cost. It already is taking a cost out of our friends, families and associates. It will take a cost out of our economy. We are already seeing that too.

There have been crises in the past. Some less than the current one, some much greater. The world survived. The world progressed. The world eventually survived, adapted and thrived. We too, our world today will do likewise.

Our Rotary club has made the decision to endure, adapt and move forward. As I mentioned earlier we will have our first ever online meeting this Thursday at noon. You are invited. We will be at home or in our places of business but we will meet, discuss, plan and fellowship. If you would like to find a place you can move forward in the midst of chaos and crisis please link up with us. We have a place for you. To get your spot in our meeting send an email to rotarysstx@gmail.com. We will send you a link to our meeting. Even though you may be staying at home we invite you to “Hang your Hat With Rotary”.