The World Minded Rotarian

The years of World War II and their aftermath caused Rotarians around the world to consider how they might further the causes of peace and harmony. In 1947, under the Presidency of S. Kendrick Guernsey, the International Affairs Committee of the RI Board of Directors formulated a questionnaire directed to all Rotary Officers. The results of the questionnaire were used to formulate an amendment to the Policy on International Service by adding a paragraph indicating the attributes of the world-minded Rotarian.

To call this notable development in policy to the attention of all Rotarians, the month of May 1949 was suggested to all Clubs as the occasion for a special program on “The Attributes of the World-minded Rotarian.” Program paper No. 712 was circulated to suggest ways of achieving spontaneous and fruitful discussion of this important topic.

Here is the list of the attributes of a world-minded Rotarian, we think still relevant today: “A world-minded Rotarian:

· looks beyond national patriotism and considers himself as sharing responsibility for the advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace;

· resists any tendency to act in terms of national or racial superiority;

· seeks and develops common grounds for agreement with peoples of other lands;

· defends the rule of law and order to preserve the liberty of the individual so that he may enjoy freedom of thought, speech and assembly, and freedom from persecution, aggression, want and fear;

· supports action directed toward improving standards of living for all peoples, realizing that poverty anywhere endangers prosperity everywhere;

· upholds the principles of justice for mankind;

· strives always to promote peace between nations and prepares to make personal sacrifices for that ideal;

· urges and practices a spirit of understanding of every other man’s beliefs as a step toward international goodwill, recognizing that then are certain basic moral and spiritual standards which will ensure a richer, fuller life.”