Rotary's
Seven Paths to Peace – Preface
Where the Paths Begin
Rotary and Politics
Message from Bob Stewart:
I have just
finished reading the RI publication "Seven Paths to Peace". I cannot tell
you how happy I was to learn of such a wonderful publication. It is as relevant
today (2004) as it was when it was written in 1959. In fact, I was amazed at
the wisdom contained in this book published 45 years ago. I have been doing a
lot of research into peacebuilding and peace education over the past 9 years (a
passion that was ignited in me by Rotary) and I learned a lot from the book,
particularly from a Rotary point of view.
It is very important for me to understand the history, current perspective
and future path Rotary is following to peace. I think this is important for all
Rotarians to understand - this is a 'must read' for anyone genuinely interested
in Rotary. It is also recommended to non-Rotarians interested in building
peace.
How important is this? As you will read in the Introductory Chapter 'Where
the Paths Begin', ". Rotarians believe that if there is failure in the
avenue of international service, there may be no need for concern about the
other avenues of service. . and this book is presented in the hope and belief
that there are thousands (now millions) of hands which up to now have not been
lifted – but which may be persuaded to row a new and firm course."
Accordingly, I will post a section of the book periodically on the list for
your reading enjoyment and enlightenment (for those who have not had the
opportunity to read this excellent book). I would be very interested in hearing
your feedback and comments.
Regards,
Bob Stewart, Rotary Club of Okotoks, Alberta, Canada (D5360)
http://www.peace.ca
ANNUAL PEACE EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN CANADA
http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2003.htm
"The world is dangerous not because of those who do harm, but because
of those who look at it without doing anything." - Albert Einstein
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Making an Impact: Your gift to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation will
do much to reduce the human cost of violence in our communities and world
through education about peace and the future in classrooms. Your gift will have
a critical impact on future generations. You will enable youngsters to widen
their sights by exploring alternate paths to transforming conflicts and
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welcome and may be sent to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation, Box 70,
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Message to Bob Stewart –
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Pavey" <faybill@bigpond.net.au>
To: <stewartr@peace.ca>
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 1:57 PM
Subject: Seven Paths to Peace
Hi Bob,
Congratulations on your efforts to
publish the various chapters of
this publication - I have had it on my
bookshelf since it was first
published and I well remember it having a
big impact on my impression
of International Service.
I am listing your messages under the
World Understanding and Peace
section of our website at:
http://rotarnet.com.au/users/9/96452/nov034.htm#seven
Best regards,
Bill Pavey
Further Message from Bob Stewart – 9 March 2004:
Dear Bill,
Thank you very much for this. When I have it completed, I will also post
the complete document with proper fonts, indents, italics, etc. on my web
site. At that time (and I will let Members know) you may wish to use the
better looking version. I appreciate your initiative to spread this good
work.
Regards,
Bob Stewart
http://www.peace.ca
ANNUAL PEACE EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN CANADA
http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2003.htm
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Seven Paths To Peace
Evanston Zurich
Contents
Where the Paths Begin
The Path of
Patriotism
The Path of
Conciliation
The Path of Freedom
The Path of Progress
The Path of Justice
The Path of Sacrifice
The Path of Loyalty
Impact
Conclusion, The complete text Of the Outline of Policy of
Rotary International in International Service
as it was in 1959, and today's
equivalent
Copyright,
1959 Rotary International
First printing, April 1959 Second
printing, October 1959
Foreward
When you read the book, you will note that the male gender is used in
general.
At the time the book was written, there were no female members of Rotary.
Please consider the male gender usage interchangeable for both genders.
Where the Paths Begin
THIS IS A BOOK largely about Rotarians and the "paths" they are
traveling toward world peace. Rotarians have no monopoly on the paths to peace
- nor would they say there are only seven. There are other paths to peace than
those discussed within these pages, but Rotarians in the more than 50 years of
existence of Rotary clubs have developed through discussion and action several
concrete statements about, and approaches to, peace.
Rotarians - more than a half million of them - belong to Rotary clubs in
more than 100 lands and, although each club is an autonomous body, they have
what might be loosely termed a world-wide "understanding" about
certain things. In convention assembled, Rotarians have agreed that specific
words express what they generally believe. The board of directors, representing
all Rotarians, also has taken concerted action about Rotary aims on peace -
often on the recommendation of committees or other Rotarians.
Rotary's one object has four parts,
or avenues:
To encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy
enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
First. The development of
acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
Second. High ethical standards
in business and profession; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful
occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his occupation as an
opportunity to serve society;
Third. The application of the ideal of service by every
Rotarian to his
personal, business, and community life;
Fourth. The advancement of
international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of
business and professional men united in the ideal of service.
Paragraph four is called "the avenue of international service",
but paragraph one implements the genius of Rotary in international service.
"The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service"
pinpoints the essential - how?
There, at the simple heart of Rotary, is the impulse that brought together
Paul Harris and his friends in Chicago in 1905. Acquaintance is Rotary's
special gift for the advancement of understanding, good will, and peace - and
the simple formula of Rotary's success in overcoming the isolation of men from
each other.
Acquaintance relaxes tensions in business, creates the kindling spark of
selfless contribution to the community, and becomes the basic solvent which
Rotary offers for problems which separate and divide mankind.
If the foregoing seems elementary to the experienced Rotarian, it should be
said that non-Rotarians also have an abiding interest in what Rotarians have
done, and are doing, to create conditions in which peace can exist.
Historically, Rotarians have shared their international insights and have not
hesitated to be a leavening influence. This book is addressed to non-Rotarians,
too.
Rotary International is an association of autonomous Rotary clubs, not a
body which takes corporate action. It embraces no causes except the object of
Rotary and specific policies and projects which implement that object.
Impelled by the vision of, and the frightening necessity for, peace based
on world fellowship, Rotarians have explored the techniques of building
understanding among men of differing nations, creeds, and colors. They have
also developed, in co-operation with others, an Outline of Policy in
international service which has been adopted by the board of directors of
Rotary International. Since the purpose of this book is to develop seven facets
of this Policy as they apply to the individual Rotarian, additional background
is appropriate.
This policy is the product of painstaking research, the result of a
questionnaire addressed to Rotarians throughout the world. Rotarians,
distinguished by their interest in international service, were asked to examine
their feelings and to describe their attitudes toward world affairs. The
objective was to assemble a composite statement applicable to men of all
nations concerning what it means to have the international outlook of a
Rotarian.
Replies to the questionnaire reflected many, and differing, aspects of rich
experience. Even to the internationally-minded, things do not look the same
when seen from a village in the Andes, from the heart of an empire, or from a
teeming city of Asia. Many hours were spent by committees of Rotary
International in comparing and correlating a consensus that could be phrased in
a brief but comprehensive statement.
The resulting statement reveals international service as an assertion of
the sovereignty of the human spirit. This Policy connotes action. It is
addressed to the articulate and the informed and the compassionate - not to the
apathetic and unconcerned:
The Responsibility of the Individual
Rotarian
Each Rotarian is expected to make his individual contribution to the
achievement of the ideal inherent in the fourth avenue of service.
Each Rotarian is expected to so order his daily personal life and business
and professional activities that he will be a loyal and serving citizen of his
own country.
Each Rotarian wherever located, working as an individual, should help to
create a well-informed public opinion. Such opinion will inevitably affect
governmental policies concerned with the advancement of international
understanding and good will toward all peoples .
This is only the beginning of the Outline
of Policy in international service, but it clearly points to the individual
Rotarian - wherever he may be. Then, there follows an analysis of the
directions in which each Rotarian will exert his leadership. Seven paths, in
effect, are commended by the experience of Rotarians from far and wide. The
value of self-examination is aided by the companionship of many searching
minds. There is no pretense of finality. The statement is intended as a
springboard - a challenge to independent thinking.
Could you choose these paths as your own and follow them in the course of
service they prescribe?
A decision of such personal importance cannot be undertaken lightly. Little
is gained by one who reads through the statement, wags his head approvingly or
rejects it out of hand or appraises it like the curate did his famous egg, as
"good in parts". Read in this casual manner, the statement can be
easily dismissed.
Accordingly, the remainder of the statement on "The Responsibilities of the Individual Rotarian" is not
quoted at this point. Instead, each of the following seven chapters deals with
a part of it. Each chapter opens with the pertinent section. One by one, each
of the seven paths is scrutinized in the context of prevailing conditions,
problems, and opportunities for service to which it leads. The concluding
chapter, entitled "Impact", chronicles examples of the impact of
Rotary - each example another direction-sign along the paths leading to peace
among men.
If Rotarians and others are attracted to these paths in increasing numbers,
it could make a vast difference in the vitality and impact of Rotary. More
important, however, is the possibility that all humanity might somehow avert
the calamity of war and the destruction of civilization itself. This is why
Rotarians believe that if there is failure in the avenue of international
service, there may be not need for concern about the other avenues of service.
The present dilemma of mankind can be compared to the situation in which
the crew of the Kon-Tiki found itself on 7 August, 1947. On that day the
westward current, which had carried the balsa-log raft and its six-man crew
4,300 miles across the Pacific, thrust the tiny raft closer and closer to the
threatening Raroia Reef. A north wind diverted the raft for a while, but the
coral reefs still "lay in ambush". Then the wind died away, and
slowly, but inexorably, the raft drifted toward the coral wall. The rhythm of
the sea changed, rising to an angry pitch which boiled and seethed to a
foaming, writhing climax at the reef.
The surf, first a dull drone, became as sharp as a drum roll, as the
Kon-Tiki was dragged toward the reef.
Beyond the surf line the crew could see islands with palm trees behind a
calm lagoon. But there could be no thoughts of idyllic islands as the raft
plunged toward the reef. The crew had not the manpower to resist the tide.
If the raft disintegrated, the crew would surely be cut to death by the
coral.If the raft held, they might live to swim the peaceful lagoon. If the
tide perchance lifted the raft clear of the reef, they might live to tell the
story.
The allegory is clear. Mankind has brought civilization a long and
difficult distance, suddenly to find it threatened by total annihilation -
hydrogen war. The drift toward war is unmistakable, whether it should come this
year, next year, ten years form now, or whenever. The reefs are rugged and
frightening. Is there a way around them - a course which is yet to be discovered?
Are there sufficient hands to reverse the drift toward destruction?
Yes, there is a way, and this book is presented in the hope and belief that
there are thousands of hands which up to now have not been lifted - but which
now may be persuaded to row a new and firm course.
(to be continued - Chapter 1, The Path of Patriotism) World Understanding &
Peace Navigation