Ashley Tangeman won the Gilroy Sunrise Rotary Club speech competition Jan. 15. She will advance to the Area 6 competition Jan. 24 hosted by the Almaden Valley Rotary Club at Boulder Ridge Golf Club.
Jessica Cabatingan was the runner up. Judges chose from four contests in the contest, all of whom attend Gilroy Early College Academy and are part of the newly formed Interact Club at the school.
The speeches were required to incorporate the theme of “Peace Through Service” and at least one of the principles of the Four-Way Test – is it the truth?, is it fair to all concerned?, will it build goodwill and better friendships? or will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Giving Peace – winning speech by
I know all about service; I’ve been taught about every type of service. My boss at In N Out Burger taught me about customer service. It’s easy enough; you simply remember to always ask, “would you like onions on your Double-Double?” and “how about some ketchup with those fries?” But if peace is achieved through service, why don’t I find any peace doing that?
Then at school I learned about community service. That just meant spending a couple of hours picking up garbage off the street and donating a couple of blankets to my school’s blanket drive, after that I could get a piece of paper signed that says I’ve met the graduation requirements. But again, why don’t I find any peace in that?
I never asked myself that question – not until Rotary asked it of me. By definition, these are acts of service, but how do they relate to peace? They certainly haven’t ended any wars; they haven’t stopped hate or violence. So what could my service have to do with peace?
When I think back on the service I’ve done, I can’t help but think about my father – even though I never met him. He died before I was even born. But there was a man dedicated to peace through service. He gave his life fighting in Desert Storm in order for his country and his family to enjoy a peace that he would never get to experience.
But I have to stop and think: exactly where was the peace in his service? His helicopter crashing down in October of 1994 left my brother and me fatherless, made my mom a widow, and robbed my grandmother of her only child. So where is the peace in that?
Then it donned on me. Service is not about gaining peace; service is about giving peace. My father asked what the four-way test asks: Will it benefit all concerned? He was not concerned with the benefit to himself. He did not ask for peace for himself when he gave his life. So where is the peace in his service? It is our peace. It is the peace we enjoy today, and will for generations to come.
As it turned out, I was wrong all along. Of course I wouldn’t gain any peace from my service. That isn’t the point. Now when I carry out acts of service – when I pick up garbage off the street, I do it to help the people who live there to take pride in their home. When I donate blankets, I’m not doing it to meet some graduation requirement; I’m doing it to keep another human being warm. I am so glad that Rotary asks this question of us. Just like my father, I will ask how my service may benefit all concerned, and how it may bring peace to others. I will know that service is not about gaining peace; service is about giving peace.
