Page 6 - 國際扶輪3490地區2015-16總監月報第7期
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R.I. R.I. President Message
K.R. Ravindran There is a story told in my Hindu tradition of two sages, Shaunaka and
President, Rotary International Abhipratari. They were worshippers of Prana, the wind god. One day,
the two men were about to sit down to lunch when a poor student knocked
on their door, asking for food.
No, boy, do not bother us at this hour, was the reply. The student
was surprised but very hungry, so he persisted.
Tell me, honored sirs, which deity do you worship?
Prana, the wind god, they answered impatiently.
Do you not know that the world begins and ends with wind, and that
wind pervades the entire universe?
The two sages were by now very irritated by their impertinent guest. Of
course we know it! they replied.
Well, then, continued the student, if Prana pervades the universe,
then he pervades me also, since I am but part of the universe. He is also
in this hungry body, which stands before you begging for a bite to eat! And
so in denying food to me, you deny it to the very deity whom you say you
serve.
The sages realized the student spoke the truth and invited him to enter
and share their meal. For they understood, at that moment, that by opening
the door to one who sought their help, they were not only serving that
individual – but reaching toward a larger goal.
Our experience of Rotary is, for the most part, based in our own
communities. We meet every week in our clubs, in the same places, with
the same familiar friends. While almost all of us are involved in some way or
other in international service, the Rotary we see and share from day to day
feels very local. It can be easy to lose sight of the larger picture – of what
our service truly means.
Every impact you have as a Rotarian, individually and through your
club, is multiplied by the power of our numbers. When you feed one person
who is hungry, when you educate one person who is illiterate, when you
protect one child from disease, the impact may seem small. It is anything
but. For it is only through the power of numbers, through the power of our
individual actions and gifts, that we can have the impact we seek: to truly Be
a Gift to the World.
04 總監月報 第07期
