Message Delivered by RIPE R. Gordon R. McInally at the Philippine Council of Past District Governors Induction & Handover Ceremonies

Good evening friends,

Thank you for that welcome – you are much too kind. It has been the greatest privilege and pleasure for me to be with you during these the past few days here in the Philippines. Having been here so often in a virtual capacity over the past two years, I still cannot believe I have finally made it in person. You have all been so kind and I have had a wonderful time.

At the very outset, can I thank everyone who worked to make this visit possible, I know all ten of the District Governors Elect have worked hard to ensure the success of my visit.

This evening, as my week here in the Philippines draws to a close, I would like to talk about two topics that are very dear to my heart and, I hope, dear to each of your hearts also. Those of you who were at the closing session of the international convention may have heard me reference the importance of Rotary’s role in PEACEBUILDING and that I will focus on that shortly. But in addition to that, I would like to say a few words about the importance of unity as I believe that to be vital in Rotary and, for that matter in our world.

We are a very disunited society. People the world over are at odds with each other, often over the most trivial of matters and that breeds discontent, the sort of discontent that leads to conflict – conflict on every level.

One of the reasons I joined Rotary 38 years ago, as a 26 year old dentist who wanted to change the world was that I realized that only by working on a united front in a united way, could I hope to make a difference and improve the world in which I lived. How could a dentist, working in isolation in Scotland hope to, Provide a future for the orphans of the Rwandan Genocide? Provide clean water to a village in India? Provide life changing surgeries for women suffering from obstetric fistula in Sierra Leone? Provide clean toilets for girls at school in Naga City here in the Philippines? He couldn’t, but working on a united front and in a united way with his fellow members of Rotary all round the world he could and he did.

I don’t know how many of you follow the sport of rugby. I am a passionate about rugby and played the game myself when I was younger. In a rugby team there are fifteen players all are different, some are tall and some are small, some are slim and can run fast – I was never one of those! some are big strong and play in the scrum – that was my position. But a rugby team can only be successful if all fifteen players bring their particular attributes to the fore and play in unity. Nowadays my passion rugby is confined to being a supporter.

The Scotland International Rugby team, uses the slogan “Better Together”, and it’s not wrong. Together, we ARE better - much better. Together, we WILL achieve much more than we can working alone.

And one area where we need to work together and not alone is in the field of PEACEBUILDING, the second topic I would like to address this evening. We are in a time of great turmoil in the world, probably the time of greatest turmoil I have seen in my time in Rotary. A time where Rotary’s historic commitment to building and fostering peace is being challenged like never before. And that’s why I’m convinced we need a renewed focus on PEACE within Rotary.

Peace is something that is in our very DNA. It is something that’s at the forefront of my mind just now and I am sure it is at the forefront of your minds too. Like me, you must have been horrified by the terrible news coming out of Eastern Europe regarding the BRUTAL AND UNPROVOKED war being waged by Russia on Ukraine and the ramifications of such an outrage.

What has society become that sees frightened, defenseless children cowering in dark, dank corners of a KEEV subway station whilst the horrors of war play out above them. Just how broken is our world that a Children’s and Maternity Hospital can see bombs rain down on it from the sky with the loss of many innocent lives as we saw in Marry-oo-paul and as we are seeing continue in cities across that proud and beautiful country? And then we saw pictures of dead bodies with their hands tied behind their backs cast aside like garbage at the side of the street in the city of BUCHA. The word genocide has been used and I do not believe that to be too strong a description of what we are witnessing in Ukraine right now.

We live in a time of unprecedented technological advances but sadly, we also live in a time of destruction and human suffering. And, as we are seeing day after day, week after week, month after month not only in Eastern Europe but elsewhere in the world too, peace is such a fragile construct. Rotary with all its GLOBAL REACH MUST help the world live together in peace and friendship and love if we are to leave a proper legacy for the generations to come. Humanity has grown up scientifically and technologically. Now we need to grow up even more by pointing the whole human race beyond the petty divisions of nepotism, race and creed. Too many people in this world have experienced the atrocities of terrorism and of war. Thankfully, Rotary is committed to working for peace.

And never forget, Peace is more SO much more than the absence of war or armed conflict. Peace is freedom, Peace is healthy children and adults. Peace is clean water and sufficient food. Peace is education, human rights, dignity, clothing, housing, and concern for mankind. But most of all, Peace is LOVE.

The late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr once said, and I quote: “We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love. And when we discover that, we will be able to make of this old world a new world, for love is the way.” END QUOTE

Love IS the way actually, ultimately, love is the ONLY way because love can help and heal when nothing else can. Love can lift up and liberate when nothing else will. Love can lead and guide us along the way beyond our unenlightened self-interest and beyond our factions and divisions. Because love can show us the way to be both HUMAN and HUMANE.

The obvious question and the one you are probably asking right now is: Could it work? Could it work, not simply in theory, but could it work in the factories and on the assembly lines could it work in the corporate boardroom could it work in the councils of politics could it work in the world - in the hard tough rough world

Well, it’s not easy but this way of love is the only thing that has ever worked for human progress and human civilization and for the good and the welfare and the wellbeing of the entire human family. Consider the alternative.. I believe that the opposite of love is not hate, but is selfishness, self-centeredness. History has shown time and time and time again that selfishness and self-centeredness does not work. It has never worked and it never will. Unselfish love is the only way that can work it is the only way that has ever worked. If you don’t believe me, just stop and, to use a word we are hearing a lot in Rotary just now: IMAGINE.

Imagine a world where love is the way. Imagine homes and families where love is the way. Imagine neighbourhoods and communities where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce where love is the way. Imagine governments and nations where love is the way.

Where love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again. Where love is the way, justice will flow like a mighty river Where love is the way, poverty WILL become history. And where love is the way, as the slaves of America's Antebellum South used to say: there will be plenty good room, plenty good room, plenty good room for all.

Because when love is the way, when PEACE is the way we actually treat each other like we are family And what better aspirations could we as Rotarians have, what greater HOPE could we as Rotarians CREATE IN THE WORLD than a sense of FAMILY and LOVE and PEACE It’s all about CARING, We need to care for each other, because only by caring for each other can WE BEGIN TO HOPE TO CARE FOR THE WORLD. I hope you will join me in my dream and that together we can create more peace not only in our world but in ourselves.

My friends, I am conscious that time is always the great enemy on occasions like this and I fear I my time is up! Can I begin to conclude by thanking you all for your commitment to Rotary. Thank you for all you have done for Rotary Thank you for all you are doing for Rotary And more importantly, Thank you for all you will do for Rotary. Rotary in the Philippines is great! You do so much and the best thing about it is you have such FUN doing it – I love it!

I would like to close with the words of a Gaelic Blessing, Gaelic being the ancient language of Scotland. May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Thank you.