Understanding "Understanding"
By Frank Deaver
Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa, Alabama USA
 

     In Rotary we hear and use the phrase "understanding and goodwill."  Perhaps the terms should be reversed, for without goodwill it is difficult to arrive at true understanding.  And we might need to admit that we do not fully understand the meaning of understanding.

     Although in Rotary we frequently speak of understanding, it involves more than just lip-service.  Much of what we think we understand is in fact understood only in part, and our understanding may be based more on stereotypes than on reality.

     This is particularly true in a world context, with multiple cultures, races, languages, religions, and traditions involved.  Few among us could honestly claim to fully understand another society.  Recognition of this fact makes Rotary's emphasis on "world understanding" all the more important, all the more challenging.

     Rotary, by its very structure, encourages and facilitates international understanding.  Our organization is not just Rotary, but Rotary International.  We send and receive international scholars and Group Study Exchange teams.  We read The Rotarian magazine, loaded with information from around the world.  Our District Governors pay at least an annual visit to each club, interpreting RI programs and goals.  And many of our members travel abroad, acquiring an enlarged multi-cultural awareness, which they may share with their colleagues at home.

     Understanding starts with an open mind, a genuine interest in knowing about other peoples and their ways.  While it is tempting to think of "our way" as the "right way," we may come to recognize that "their way" is no less right, and for them it may be preferable.

     As we travel abroad or otherwise interact with people from another society, we may be tempted to make prejudiced comparisons.  (By the way, the word "prejudice" means "to pre-judge," or to make up our minds based on incomplete information, incomplete understanding.)

     In anticipation of international travel or contacts, Rotarians can advance their own understanding by considering some basic multi-cultural considerations.  We must cultivate a genuine desire to learn more about the people of another society, to be sensitive to their feelings and to avoid anything that would offend.

     We must listen not only with our ears, but with open minds, recognizing traditions and ethnic or national pride that influence people of other societies.  We must be willing to ask more than tell, and to respect other customs and mannerisms.   We must avoid appearing critical of those who do not know our language, recognizing that in turn we may not know theirs.

     In international travel, we expect to purchase souvenirs, but we should be sensitive to the fact that a bargain purchase may be the result of poverty-level wages.  If we understand that, we might think twice about demanding a lower price, and we might avoid boasting about a "bargain" that in fact may have contributed to human exploitation.

     World Understanding is not so much a destination as an ongoing journey; not an accomplishment but a process; not an end but a means to mutually beneficial ends.

     Rotarians have already contributed much to "World Understanding and Goodwill."  As we travel, or otherwise interact with people from other societies, it is up to each of us to continue that tradition.