February is “Peace and Conflict Resolution” month. I must confess, my first thought when this became one of Rotary’s areas of service was one of powerlessness. How could anyone or organization influence world peace. Every year the world experiences multiple conflicts. Envisioning influencing world peace and reducing conflicts was a difficult concept for me to wrap my arms around.
I was limiting my understanding of peace to the absence of war, which I must confess, was a restricted and myopic understanding. Several prominent persons adapted their situation to the fact that true peace is more than the absence of war. 
 
Martin Luther King Jr: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.”
 
Albert Einstein: “Peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of justice, of law, of order —in short, of government.”
 
Dorothy Thompson: “Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict - alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.”
 
PDG Kelly Atkinson of Salt Lake City helped bring clarity to my understanding of opportunities for Rotarians to effect peace. Progress toward world peace and the reduction of conflicts is a ground level undertaking; one person and one project at a time. Kelly matched Rotary’s six areas of service to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. 
 
Just a refresher, Psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a “needs pyramid”. Maslow recognized that for one to achieve self-actualization in life, a number of more basic needs must first be met. Needs include food, safety, love, and self-esteem. There are five different levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
It is through our service projects, peace fellowships, and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict. Poverty, inequality, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and the distribution of unequal resources is something Rotarian’s can attack; and must do.
 
A past article in Rotarian Magazine referenced a survey of Rotary clubs. Eighty percent of our clubs want to do local service projects. I get it. My club is no different. Each of our communities has needs that we want to address.
When we engage in global projects beyond our immediate communities to help solve some of these problems, it has a local impact. Meet basic needs and develop an educated population leads to people who can make informed decisions about their future. They are less likely to follow some despot or warlord. When this happens, we come closer to world peace that impacts us locally as well.
 
We must refuse to accept conflict as a way of life. Rotary projects provide training that fosters understanding and provides communities with the skills to resolve conflicts. Rotary has partnered with the Institute for Economics and Peace, an independent think tank, and leader in the study of peace and conflict resolution, to help address the root causes of conflict and create conditions that foster peace. Annually 100 peace fellowships are offered for study at Rotary Peace Centers around the world. Over 1,000 students have graduated from Rotary’s Peace Centers program. Rotarians have raised $142 million dollar to support peace. 
 
How does a Rotarian get more involved in peace and conflict resolution?
Consider joining the Rotarian Action Group for Peace. This is a group of like-minded Rotarians, Rotarian spouses, and Rotaractors working together for the purpose of advancing peace and preventing wars throughout the world. It’s the official entity that empowers and supports the work of Rotarians by offering structure, guidance, and resources to further Rotary peace efforts.
 
Jerry Chapman
District Governor, 2018-19