[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 872

[Garry Krischock]

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 1.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1568;_ylc=X3oDMTJxdGY5d
Gh2BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzE1N
jgEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTIzMzI3MzUyNQ--> 1648: R I President's
Message - February 2009 

 

Wed Jan 28, 2009 11:02 pm (PST) 


R I President's Message - February 2009

Dear fellow Rotarians,

I grew up in a small village, the same village where my family had lived
for many generations. I lived close to many members of my extended
family, and our family traditions were very strong. In those days, few
Koreans ever traveled abroad, and there was very little Western
influence. My home, my language, and my culture were all I knew.

When I was in my 20s, I made a decision that would shape the rest of my
life. With my father's encouragement, I traveled to the United
States to work and to study. I chose San Francisco as my destination and
spent nearly two years there, taking classes and learning English. I
made my way working at several entry-level jobs.

It is difficult even today to describe what an impact that experience
had on me. Everything, and everyone, was different. I was used to seeing
only Korean faces; in San Francisco, I saw people from all over the
world. I worked hard on my English and in my job. I learned what it was
like to be the person who did not understand, who cleaned up after
others, who took orders but never gave them. I learned how large the
world outside my village really was. And those experiences sent me back
to Korea changed.

When I returned to join my father's business in Seoul, I knew what
it was like to be a worker at the bottom of an organizational hierarchy
- and that affected how I treated my employees. I knew what it was
like to do physical labor all day - and that gave me increased
respect for those who worked in every kind of job. Perhaps most
important, I knew how much of the world lay beyond my own experience. I
knew that there were so many different countries and cultures, so many
different people in the world. I knew that as much as we are all
different, we are all essentially the same. And I knew that everyone,
everywhere, sometimes needs help from others.

In Rotary, February is World Understanding Month - a time to focus
on the importance of goodwill and understanding for peace. It is a time
for all of us to pause and consider how we are pursuing Rotary's
fourth Avenue of Service - International Service - because it is
our international service, and our international fellowship, that will
do the most to help us all build a more peaceful tomorrow.

Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee
President, Rotary International

 

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