Recalling a passage from the Bible when Baruch (disciple and friend of prophet Jeremiah), who was “in exile and despair, asked his people to do something unusual… look to the east,” RI President Francesco Arezzo, addressing the inaugural session of the Lead25 conclave in Chennai said, “I believe Rotary too gives us reason at this moment to look east, not only in a metaphorical but in a real sense.”
He was saying this because in recent years, “our strongest and most vibrant membership growth has come from Asia, and here in India in particular, we are witnessing something extraordinary. Not just a growth in numbers but also an increase in meaning and clarity in serving the community.”
Underlining the importance of membership, and retaining members, he said RI was “not made just for clubs or projects. It is made of people. and people stay when they feel something deeper than obligation…they stay when they can connect, not just to the club but to one another.”
The RI President rued that during the entire previous decade, “each year we welcome tens of thousands of people worldwide, but nearly the same number departs.” Year-after-year.
This tension between growth and departure is not only a Rotary problem but a mirror of the world we live in. “People are longing for meaning, but they do not always find it. They join because they admire what Rotary stands for but they leave when Rotary becomes just a structure where you simply spend time rather than do something meaningful.”
That is why, he said, this year’s call Unite for good “is more than just a slogan… we unite to do good, to reinforce every member’s sense of belonging to ensure that they feel an essential part of our organisation.”
“We unite for good by contributing to the communities we live in and by learning from one another how to create lasting change. And we unite for good by laying a foundation for peace, earning trust and giving opportunities to form friendship. Only a Rotary or Rotaract club can give this opportunity.”
Addressing the club leaders in the massive gathering which registered nearly 12,000 participants, Arezzo said, “Many of you are here. Check with your members to understand what they want and start a discussion on their goals and desires and connect personally as best as you can. Reach out to people in your community to find out how your clubs can do more to make a positive difference for them.”
I speak to you not as someone who claims to understand India from within, but one who learns from it. I admire your hospitality, your moral clarity, your generosity.
Once they do that, they will get the opportunity to do service projects. Holding social events and having meaningful dialogues and conversations were just as important.
The RI President also advised the delegates to use Rotary as “an instrument for peace, for it gives you the opportunity to form connections with people you will otherwise never meet and render service to create more cohesive, healthy and peaceful communities. Peace is of importance in these times.”
He believes that peace is meant to free people from “poverty, disease and environment destruction… free from unclean water and poor sanitation,
and lack of educational opportunities. Free from poor access to medical treatment and polio. Peace is what we do best, and do every day. Sending a young scholar to a peace centre or to another country on a youth exchange programme is also peace. As is preventing and curing disease… providing healthcare and sanitation where there is none is working for peace. When women can live in a safe environment and take care of their children, that is working for peace. And improving the environment in which we live, educating girls and supporting livelihoods are ways to work for peace.” Rotary service makes the world a little more free every day and creates conditions for peace, Arezzo added.
Gandhi had said non-violence is the way of the strong and that there is strength in numbers, strength in compassion, and a world built on love and not greed. “I urge you to unite for good to create a new world, of love and friendship in our own communities and the ones we serve. We must renew ourselves through our values because service alone will not lead to the creation of a peaceful world. We must also lead by example,” he said.
Gently urging Rotarians to think and reflect, the RI President said Rotary and Rotarians today face many questions and challenges. “These are not bureaucratic but human questions. Whether it is Delhi, Mumbai or London, there are challenges related to digitalisation and the leap in modernity. At times like this, institutions feel lifeless.”
But he was optimistic that Rotary can be more; a place where people are not measured by achievement or manipulated, but welcomed to dialogue. “But for this, we must reflect on what we do. Too often we do projects that end with the term of the presidents or the governors; the calendar defines our projects done during our terms. All of us, club presidents, governors and even the RI President, do our best during our term of one year, to achieve all we can and then pass on the baton. But the work that truly matters… such as peace or education or protecting the environment, require time and continuity.”
The RI President advised club leaders to work not as individuals, but as teams. “We must do more than move quickly, we must move gracefully and meaningfully. And prepare to help the next leader to succeed.”
It was also important to have a sense of direction and balance. Quoting
from Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland, Arezzo gave the example of Alice asking the Cheshire cat which way she should go from a certain point. And the cat responds: “That depends on where you want to go.”
“Oh, I don’t much care where,” says Alice. “Then it doesn’t much matter where you go,” says the cat.
Here, said Arezzo, lays a warning; “if we don’t know where we want to go, then no direction will matter.” The crucial thing was not to abide only by the calendar of your year as the leader “but to lead for the long run and prepare the ground for those who come after us.”
Clearly an admirer of Indian history, culture and philosophy, the RI President said, “There is a culture of passion here… a civilisational memory that understands the importance of continuity and the value of passing the torch. Your Rotary clubs do no chase… they sustain vision. Perhaps that is why there is such natural harmony here… a spirit of selfless service reflected in the ancient Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (a Sanskrit phrase meaning ‘the world is one family’).
Added Arezzo disarmingly: “I speak to you not as someone who claims to understand India from within but one who learns from it. I admire your hospitality, your moral clarity, your generosity, and ask you a question: How do we bring in the new generation… how do we change without drifting. These are the same questions we will have to ask across the Rotary world.”
Quoting Rabindranath Tagore who once wrote: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy,” Arezzo said in conclusion, “In Rotary we make a promise to be trustworthy and human together. So let us look East…. not because of Baruch, not only symbolically, but completely, joyfully, spiritually. If we can strengthen our clubs and practise the 4-Way Test as a reflex, if we can invite others into Rotary, not only for service but to belong, then we will be able to retain members and become a beacon, a gathering place, not all perfection, but built on trust. This for me is the true significance of our theme this year Unite for good.”