Hope

In last week’s issue of Balita, Buddha’s iconic quote -- “What you think you become. What you feel you attract. What you imagine you create” – was featured to express the inspiration behind the success of Imagine Rotary year. Revisiting and again reflecting on the same quote, the same can actually and equally be applied to this year’s theme – Creating Hope in the World.

Indeed, creating hope is equivalent to institutionalizing a way of thinking that will inspiringly push everyone to action. If one continues to think and have a clear belief and hope about what is possible, they will more enthusiastically look forward and take purposive action needed on a specific goal to bring it to fruition. Hope is a powerful tool; and its force, influence and torque on individual and collective action is unquantifiable. For this reason, RI President Gordon McInally is clearly on point when he unveiled such a powerful motto for this year. Rotarians, as expected, will be united in answering this call and envelope the world with a unique way of thinking that, together in action, we can all make the world a better place.

For Rotarians, therefore, sparking and creating hope must animate and inspire each project from day 1 of this Rotary year. With confidence, we can say that whenever done with self-effacing attitude consistent with Rotary’s ‘service above self’ mantra, all earnest efforts to do Rotary service will surely create hope. Hope will undeniably take root in a community whenever projects that have impactful effect in their lives are implemented by Rotarians around the world. Whenever a vaccine is administered on someone, or every time medical intervention is given on an ailing person, hope is implanted and the beneficiary gains a reason to look forward to a brighter and healthier future. Hope, too, will be ingrained in each child when his future is made brighter because of Rotary’s outreach programs.

As a verb, the definition of the word “hope” includes: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation.” Let us thus expect with confidence and purposively act on our plans so the cascading effect of Rotary’s hope-creating missions and actions worldwide will truly be felt. Under the leadership of Hope-Creating President Raffy Alunan, the Rotary Club of Manila, first in Asia, is expected to once again blaze the trail in this effort in this little corner of the world.