Page 6 - 2023年9月號

Peace in practice
T he International Day of Peace takes stani Rotary members took the next step when they

welcomed Rotary members from India as friends and
place 21 September. The United Nations
General Assembly declared this a day
family. That is Positive Peace at work.
devoted to strengthening the ideals of
These peacebuilders did not stop there. Club rep-
peace through observing 24 hours of non- resentatives at this year’s meeting signed twin club
violence and cease-fire. certificates to recognize their long-term commitment
It is not enough, as people of action, to simply to continue to learn from each other and to work
avoid making war. If we are to Create Hope in the together on more peacebuilding efforts, and they have
World, we must aggressively wage peace. held joint meetings via video chat.
Where can we begin? There are countless armed The importance of communicating with and
conflicts around the world, and the global population learning from another culture cannot be overstated,
of displaced people is higher than ever. The opportu- and Rotary is making it even easier to do so. One way
nities are nearly limitless, but the cycles of violence of engaging in cross-cultural dialogue and build-
and hardship seem endless. ing relationships across borders is through virtual
My advice is to start small but think big. I look to international exchanges that build on our current
Rotary members in Pakistan and India for inspiration. programs and make them more accessible.
In March 2020, about 50 Rotary members from A virtual exchange uses online platforms to con-
Pakistan met about 50 Rotary members from India at nect people from different parts of the world so they
Kartarpur Sabib, a shrine in Pakistan. The sanctuary can share their traditions, priorities, values, and more.
h
honors Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, a reli- Virtual exchanges can serve as a window to another
gion practiced in both countries. Tensions between part of the world through activities such as teaching a
the two countries barred many religious pilgrims digital cooking class, learning a new language, or even
from India from visiting the shrine. That is, until designing service projects with a global impact.
PHOTOGRAPH: MONIKA LOZINSKA sides of the border again met at the shrine, this time R. GORDON R. MCINALLY
Pakistan opened a visa-free pathway to them in 2019.
These online chats have the potential to inspire
new connections and more respect between societies.
Earlier this year, Rotary members from opposite
Taking that knowledge and using it to better the lives
with about twice as many participants.
of our fellow human beings is the next step.
Any work toward building peace needs to be brave
Let’s see where it takes us.
and bold. What these Rotary members have done is
just that. The Pakistani government took an im-
portant step toward peace when it admitted Indian
h
4 pilgrims to the Kartarpur Sabib shrine, but Paki- President, Rotary International
ᇃᢊ׭ᎈȁ2023.9