Pat Simpson's column last week prompted some club members to think about the nature of Rotary and to address some intriguing issues. There are a couple that I want to share with you. 
 
One of the issues raised was what it means to be a "non-political" organization. The original question asked how a non-political organization should act if one of the political parties in its country has a philosophy diametrically opposed to that of the organization.
 
I do not profess to have the answer to such a heady question, but my understanding of the non-political nature of Rotary is that it pursues its mission without concern for or involvement in politics. By doing so, Rotary maintains its independence and therefore its ability to define its own mission and how it seeks to advance that mission regardless of what is happening at a governmental level. It also allows persons of different political persuasions to join together to pursue their common interests as reflected in the mission of Rotary. In my view the same is essentially true of Rotary's lack of affiliation with any form of religion. Given the mission and vision of Rotary, it is entirely possible for persons of differing faiths and political ideologies to join together in an effort to pursue that mission and vision despite their differing views on religion and politics.
 
Another issue concerned the practice of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each meeting. The essence of the question presented was why we pledge allegiance to a single nation's flag when Rotary is a multinational organization.
 
Reciting the pledge is not required by Rotary International. How a club opens its meetings is determined locally. I do not know the origins of our Club's practice of reciting the pledge, but I expect that it stems from the tradition of many organizations throughout the US to recognize, and evidence support for, the principles represented by the flag. Of course, it is that very concept which causes some people to disagree with the practice, as the principles represented by the flag are subject to varying interpretations and levels of acceptance. There are also objections based on specific elements of the pledge, such as the reference to the United States being "one Nation, under God" (the last two words having been added in 1954). So there are multiple reasons that people question the practice of reciting the pledge at the beginning of the meetings.
 
My view is that while these are both intriguing issues on which reasonable people may have differing opinions, in the end they do not impact the workings of our Club or other Rotary clubs around the world. The Rotary mission statement says "We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders." And our vision statement reads as follows: "Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves." Neither of those statements is tied to a particular country, religion or political philosophy. They are aspirations for doing good in the world for people regardless of their nationality, religion or political affiliation. That is not to say that religion and politics are unimportant; they most certainly are. But the work of Rotary is independent of religious and political considerations, and hopefully it provides a means for people of differing beliefs and viewpoints to work together to benefit others regardless of those differences.
 
To me, that is part of Rotary’s beauty: it brings people together for the common good despite differences that might divide us elsewhere. And when we work side by side, we often gain a deeper understanding of one another — even when our beliefs or perspectives differ. That spirit of unity and collective effort was at the heart of Pat’s column, and it’s a message I believe we can all embrace.
 
I hope you have a great weekend, and I look forward to seeing you next Tuesday.

Keep the faith,
David