By Martin Postic Jr., Rotary Club of Oklahoma City Midtown, Oklahoma, USA

As Rotary members, we’re encouraged to apply The Four-Way Test to everything we think, say, or do. And yet many Rotarians fixate on just the first part of the test – “Is it the TRUTH?” – and stop there. It’s easy to see why. Truth is an absolute. But fairness, as embodied in the second part – ­“Is it FAIR to all concerned?” – is not.

In society today, the goal seems to be to win at all costs. Individuals sometimes seek to skew the truth to achieve an outcome “fair” to them but not necessarily fair to all concerned. Some people feel that if they win, it IS fair, but if they lose, it’s NOT. They’ll play fast and loose with the truth to achieve the result they deem “fair.” Which begs the question, “Which is more important – truth or fairness?”