當保羅哈利斯還是個孩子的時候，父親經歷了數次的經商失敗，之後他便前往佛蒙特州一個叫瓦靈堡的小城與祖父母同住。他的祖父母是率直、誠實的鄉下人。保羅說他從祖父母的身上學到了正直、容忍與無私的價值。

Paul Harris, after his father had failed in business several times, went as a child to live with his grandparents in small country town called Wallingford in Vermont.  His grandparents were straightforward, honest country folk, and Paul said that they taught him the values of integrity, tolerance and unselfishness.

當保羅成為芝加哥的一名律師後，這些價值的試煉就出現了。20世紀初期的芝加哥是個蠻悍的城市，有著腐敗的生意人、剝削勞工者、罪犯與無家可歸的人，病殘視障者孤立無援。

Those qualities were tested when Paul Harris became a lawyer in Chicago.  This was a tough city in the early years of the 20th century.  Corrupt business practices, the exploitation of workers, crime, homelessness, no support for he sick, the blind and the disabled.

保羅很孤單，對自己目睹的現象感到不舒服，他開始尋找改變。當他召集了一些周圍的商人朋友並創辦了扶輪社後，轉機就出現了。正直、容忍與無私的特質成為新社團的動力，當社團的活動擴展後，他們自然轉向了服務。

Paul was lonely, and he was uncomfortable with some of the things he saw, and he looked for change.  Those changes began when he gathered some business acquaintances around him and they formed the first Rotary club.  Those qualities of integrity, tolerance and unselfishness became the motivation of the new club, and as the club extended its activities, they naturally turned to service.

保羅創社的理念是如此吸引人，以致於他很快地找到具有相同理念的成員。扶輪社開始成長，而且很快地成立分社。那就是今天我們所知道的扶輪社的由來- 一群誠實與關懷的人聚集起來幫助別人。

Those ideas that led Paul to begin his club were so appealing that he quickly found others who agreed with him.  His club grew, and soon there were new clubs.  And that’s how Rotary as we know it was born – through honest and caring people coming together to help others.

這不是很有趣嗎？自1905年以來的創新發明如電視、DVD、疫苗、衛星、飛機或電子郵件，都無法改變人類的精神。那些在1905年如此重要的人類價值，今天仍然如此。

Isn’t it interesting that none of the inventions of the years since 1905 : television, DVDs, vaccines, satellites, air travel or email, have changed the human spirit?  All those human values so important in 1905 remain the same today.

我們都是為了一個簡單的原因而參加扶輪社：將服務置於個人之上。任何機構都需要使命感。我們必須對我們的動力具有全然的信心。就是這樣的使命感給予了我們行動的決心、熱情、真誠、奉獻以及最重要的愛心。這些才是使我們的工作與生命有意義的東西。沒有這些價值，我們永遠也不會有能力享受回饋社會的真正的滿足感。

We are in Rotary for a simple reason : to put Service Above Self.  Any organization must have a sense of mission.  We must have total faith in our cause.  It is this sense of mission that gives our actions determination, enthusiasm, sincerity, devotion, and above all, love.  These are the things that make our work and our lives meaningful.  Without them, we will never be able to enjoy the true sense of satisfaction that comes from serving our communities.

我們對服務的理念以及對國際事務的關切是不會隨時間而改變的，也不會跟不上時代。不過，在一個每年汰換領袖的機構，我們很容易改變經營的方式，然後忘記我們改變的初衷。如此太容易使我們拋棄先前對於價值的想法。我們不應該故步自封，與社會脫節。我們也不應拋棄那些有價值意義的東西，只因他們已經行之有年。

Our ideal of service and our commitment to international understanding are timeless and have never become out of date, but in an organization that changes its leadership annually, it is easy to make changes to the way we operate and then forget why the changes were made.  That can too easily lead to our leaving behind ideas that are of value.  We should never be old-fashioned and not relevant to our community, but neither should throw away those things which have value just because we have done them for years.

我們總是談論著扶輪社是如何優秀，我們也相信它的確如此。但優秀的定義並不在於我們有多少會員，或者我們過去的表現如何。優秀在於我們如何將自己的理念付諸行動。當我們真正活出扶輪社的理念時，我們自己才變得優秀。優秀絕不是自大或高過別人，因為謙卑才是優秀的；當我們的生命變得更加有意義，樹立更有價值的典範時，我們才是優秀的。

We often talk about how great Rotary is, and we believe this to be true.  But greatness does not depend on how many members we have, or how well we have performed in the past.  Greatness lies in the way we exercise our ideals.  When we truly live our Rotary ideals, we become great ourselves.  Not arrogant, nor superior, for humility is part of being great, but our lives become more meaningful and our example more worthwhile.

一旦你的扶輪社是由優秀的社員所組成，它對年輕有活力的新一代才變得有吸引力。今天的年輕人已不同於往昔，我們不容易網羅他們，但他們也希望過一個有意義的生活，並能夠服務群眾。

When your club is made up of great Rotarians, it becomes attractive to the dynamic new generations.  Today’s younger people are different, and it is not easy for us to welcome and to accommodate them in our clubs, yet they too wish to live meaningful lives and to serve.

這並不是說，會籍是數字的問題。我們可以達成的並非「數字」，而是我們可以做出多少貢獻。當我們回到原點，我們利用入會程序來篩選我們所需的會員：像我們一樣可以分享使命感的人們；知道我們對服務的理念可以經得起時間考驗的人們；瞭解到對扶輪社的投資將為自己與他人開花結果的人們。人們在我們身上看見他們想要成為的人。

Not that membership is simply a matter of numbers.  It is not “how may” but how much more we can achieve.  When we go back to the basics, we use membership procedures that bring to our clubs the right sort of people.  People who are like us, who can share our sense of mission.  People who see that our ideal of service has stood the test of time.  People who realize that if they invest in Rotary, their investment will yield a substantial return for themselves and for others.  People who see in us what they would like to be.

如果他們在我們身上看見一些他們想成為的東西，那就代表了我們在引領群賢Leading the Way的作為上是成功的。那意味著我們的所作所為是正確的，而且必須持之以恆。

If they see in us something that they would like to be, then it is a sign that we are being successful in Leading the Way.  It means that we are doing something right, and that we must continue to do it.

我們之所以需要新一代的成員，並非為了達到目標，而是因為我們知道當我們變年紀漸長，扶輪社也跟著變老。我們會失去熱誠與冒險的動力。我們成為夢想家，但僅有夢想還不足以創造一個更好更有智慧的世界。更好的世界是需要被開創的，而且可能在我們的有生之年都無法親眼目睹。我們需要新血加入，分擔我們的想法，為我們的使命接棒。

We need new members not to achieve a target, but because we know that as we grow older, and our club grows older, we lose some of our enthusiasm and our sense of adventure.  We become dreamers, but dreams do not create a wiser and better would.  A better would has to be built, and we may not see it in our lifetime.  We need the next generation to join us to share our ideals and to continue our mission.

我欣賞一句名言裡的哲理：「未來並非我們前往的地方，而是我們正創造的地方。通往未來的道路不是被發現的道路，而是被建造出來的道路，而建造通往未來的道路改變了創造者與他的目的地。」

I like the thought in the words “the future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating.  The paths to it are not found but made, and making of those pathways changes both the maker and the destination.”

我們無法改變過去，但我們有無窮的方法可以改變未來。命運並非機會，而是選擇。未來並非機會，可以任由我們浪費，未來是使命，等待我們去開創。如果我們照著自己對服務的承諾付諸行動，扶輪社的成員將成為未來的建築師，因為我們是站在一個強健的基礎上打造未來

We have no way of changing the past, but we have endless ways of changing the future.  Destiny is not a matter of chance but a matter of choice.  The future is not an opportunity to be wasted, but rather a work to be built.  Rotarians will be the architects of the future if we act on our commitment to service, for we build on an already strong foundation.

要聽一個例子嗎？在1980年，澳洲大學裡的一個團隊研發了一套教導閱讀與寫作的方法，稱為集中語言治療。這個方法本是針對澳洲鄉村地區的原住民團體的需要而設計的。

May I give you an example?  In the 1980s a team in an Australian university developed a method of teaching reading and writing that they called the Concentrated Language Encounter.  It was developed to address a need among the aboriginal communities in rural Australia. 

研發團隊的領導人，PAST地區官員與教授迪克沃克，堅信他們的發明可以在任何國家與文化中發揮作用。因此，靠著配合補助金，迪克沃克在泰緬邊境試辦了他的語言計畫。泰緬邊境過去有教育泰文失敗的經驗。結果，集中語言治療在當地的效果不錯，於是迪克沃克又被邀請到更北的山區部落內，那裡的人們被認為幾乎是沒有學習能力的

The leader of the team, Past District Governor Professor Dick Walker, was sure that the method would work in any country and any culture, and with a Matching Grant, he began a pilot project on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, where previous attempts to teach the Thai language had failed.  CLE worked well, and Dick Walker was then asked to work in the northern hill tribes who had proven almost impossible to educate.

這次的計畫又成功了，迪克沃克靠著三H的補助金，接著向泰國南部的回教徒展開工作。當地的教育並不普遍，學生的缺席率又高。但是，因著集中語言治療的趣味，許多孩童受到吸引而回到學校。於是，又一次地，語言教學的成效是如此驚人，泰國政府將這個教學計畫納入泰國國家經濟與社會發展策略中。如今，這個教學、閱讀與寫作的課程已經普及於泰國的所有學校。

Success there led to a project in the Muslim south of Thailand, and by now with a 3H grant.  Schooling here was not popular and absenteeism rates were high.  CLE attracted the children back to school, as they found it fun.  Again the results were so spectacular that the Thai Ministry incorporated the program into the National Economic and Social Development program and it is now the method used in all Thai schools for teaching, reading and writing.

這就是扶輪社打擊文盲的基礎。我們已在土耳其開始了對成年女子的識字計畫，課程也安排職技教育。我們有針對埃及的街童與成人的計畫。在南非，我們也開始了數個大型的學童與成人計畫，另外也有一個針對受刑人的計畫。我們正在尼泊爾、印度與孟加拉展開相關計畫，還在馬來西亞與泰國試辦英語課程。我們有菲律賓的街童與學童的教育計畫，在巴西也有數個主要的計畫正在進運行。

This was the foundation for Rotary’s attack on illiteracy.  We now have programs in Turkey for adult women, which also add vocational skills; programs for street children and adults in Egypt; a number of large programs in South Africa covering school children and adults and even one project working with prisoners.  We are working with children in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, and have pilot projects on English as a second language in Malaysia and Thailand.  There are street children and school children projects in the Philippines and several major projects in Brazil.

這樣的計畫是由扶輪社開始的，一個扶輪社員看見了需要，並大膽地追求更大的目標，於是將之擴展成為一個主要的國際運動，對那些遭受飢餓、疾病、貧困與文盲的人們伸出援手。

This project started by Rotary, by one Rotarian who saw a need and wasn’t afraid to think big, is building to a major international activity with huge benefits for those suffering the effects of hunger, poor health and poverty as well as illiteracy.

我們該如何為下一個世代打造扶輪社的工作呢？我們以價值觀為基礎，我們以道德標準為基礎，我們以職業技術為基礎。

How do we build our Rotary work for the next generation?  We build on values, we build on ethical standards, and we build on our vocational skills.

我總是相信，扶輪社在台灣是強壯的。你們重視扶輪社的正直。對於社區，也就是在今日的世界中超乎了你的城市與國家，的需要，你們做出慷慨的回應。聯合國兒童基金會秘書長卡蘿貝拉米曾經說過，扶輪社在國際村中贏得了尊敬–事實上，是扶輪社使這個世界成為國際村。

I have always had an understanding that Rotary in Taiwan is strong.  You appreciate the integrity of Rotary.  You are generous in responding to the needs of your communities which in today’s world stretch beyond your city and country to encompass the world.  It was Carol Bellamy, Director General of UNICEF who said that Rotary has won a place of respect in the global village – in fact that Rotary had helped make the world a global village.

你們是扶輪社基金會的忠實支持者，去年再一次超過了我們對每個扶輪社成員訂定的年度目標。你們在身處於個人捐獻名列前茅的國家。為此，我要恭喜你們。

You are strong supporters of our Rotary Foundation, last year exceeding again our goal of Every Rotarian, Every year.  You were the top county in the world for per capital giving, and for that I congratulate you.

你們持續支持小兒麻痺根除計畫，與我一同注視著未來，無視於小兒麻痺的威脅。

You continue to support PolioPlus, and look with me to a future without the threat of polio.

你們在扶輪社的世界中，有了傲人的歷史。你擁有所需的基礎。做為社長，我今天要呼籲，如同作為扶輪社的一份子一樣的做出要求，希望你們持續建造扶輪社。不是在會員數字上，那太容易評估，而是在實質的服務上。

You have a proud history in the world of Rotary.  You have the necessary foundations firmly in place.  I ask you today as President, and as a Rotarian like each you, to continue building Rotary.  Not just in areas like membership, which are easily measured but in service.

早在1923年2月，保羅哈利斯寫著：「扶輪社並非緬懷過去的社團。它的價值與目的在於未來的活動而非過去的豐功偉業。」保羅哈利斯在過去就看到了未來。

As far back as February 1923, Paul Harris wrote, “Rotary is not an organization for retrospection.  It is rather one whose worth and purpose lie in future activity rather than past performance.”  He was looking to the future.

因此，我們所有的人，在引領群賢的同時，我們也看到了未來。

So are all of us, as we work to Lead The Way.