The Four-Way Test

South Hill Rotary Club
Chelsey Tanner, Winning Essay

Remember when you lied just to get out of trouble? Remember when you were not fair to the new player because she couldn’t hit the ball?

Remember when anger got in the way of you and your friend’s relationship? Remember when you helped people with money or clothes? Truth, Fairness, Friendship, and Goodwill are all qualities that every person in the world should have.

Truthfulness is when in any situation, you always tell the truth. When situations start at school and it suddenly gets violent, go and tell a teacher exactly what you saw or heard. Don’t lie to your teacher just so your friend doesn’t get in trouble and then you have to keep lying just to keep them out of trouble. If you tell the truth at first, you don’t have to lie later.

Fairness is when you treat people the way you would like to be treated. When you treat
the new kid badly on their first day of school, think about your first day at a new school
and how you were treated. Try to make friends with the new kid so they wont be as scared and hurt. Or when the new kid gets a question wrong on a paper and everybody laughs, help them in that subject, so they can do better on the next paper and tell everyone that perfect people don’t exist.

Friendship is an in-depth and relaxed relationship. Friendship combines trust,
support, communication, loyalty, understanding, empathy, and intimacy.  The great thing about friends is that you can be yourself around them. If your boyfriend just dumped you for another girl, your friends will be there to comfort you and to cheer you up. Sometimes it is very difficult to make friends at certain times and rarely at certain ages. Friendship is a relief and friends can always relate.

Goodwill is the willingness to do good and the willingness to help others. Goodwill is
always important no matter what people say or do. People don’t know how lucky we all
have it to have a good home, fresh food, and clean clothes. Families around the world
don’t have anything and they have stopped believing that there is hope still left in the
world. People around the world are doing all they can to stay alive and fight off hunger. People like Cameron Diaz dedicate their lives to help people around the world. Everyone should help the unfortunate because you never know when you are going to need their help.

Truthfulness, Fairness, Friendship and Goodwill are all qualities every person should
have. You never know when you’re going to need a helping hand, and you always will
have someone there to help you .