Today, at the start of a new calendar year, I want us to reflect on hope and what Rotary brings into our lives, communities and world.

Paul Harris once wrote: “These are mighty days, days of incomparable opportunity — of opportunity undreamed. Off with the useless old, on with the useful new. There will never be a better chance than now. Humanity must rise triumphant from this vale of sorrow, ennobled by its suffering.”

This kind of hope requires us to focus on the positive and that’s very hard. It’s a discipline. But we have all that we need to practice hope – we have science, technology, vaccines, significant public and political will, and, most importantly for us, our Rotary values and principles as well as the things that make Rotary possible — networks, fellowship, friendship, understanding, tolerance, confidence and, above all, serving others in our work. We just need to use what we have.

Our biggest enemy is our own sense of helplessness and hopelessness. If we love and care about each other and our fellow human beings, then something is required of us, other than turning away. We cannot do nothing and expect change to happen – we are going to have to change to make sure that the world can change. People who make the optimistic choice – not to deny the problems but to believe they can be fixed – make the world better. Therefore, during these dark days, let us focus on living our hope and with it all of the good things that can and are happening in our own lives, in Rotary, at our club and in our community.