"Rotary is a miniature model of a world at peace, one which might advantageously be studied by nations. Rotarians believe that the universal application of tolerance and friendliness would bring about the international peace so earnestly desired by everyone." - Paul Harris Radio broadcast on Rotary's 36th anniversary.
Paul Harris, a great humanitarian of his time, could
not have anticipated our hyperpolarized era. After
World War 1 (“the war to end all wars”) leaders of powerful nations were not
interested in peace. They wanted more power. In our globally irreversible interdependent world,
if just one leader has this mental desire it will infect others. This mental sickness spreads via politics,
religion, and/or economics and fails to prioritize the health of their citizens
and their economic needs within their communities.
With the sparks leading up to World War II, Harris offered more wisdom in 1940 stating, "But, we ask, must the best genius of men be devoted to the science of war and none to the science of averting it?" An emphasis on preventing conflict.
Now, nearly 9 decades later with the countless vulnerabilities within every individual, family, or nation, ‘Health for all’ appears to be the only scientific means of achieving peace plus holistic security by reducing the greater threats to human life (microbial killers and cognitive flaws). These must be urgently tackled for the flourishing and sustainability of our families, communities and common environment that each requires a comprehensive and holist systemic effort to protect. Thus, prioritizing “Health” above all is the only real path to Peace.
“The battle for the world is
the battle for definitions” Thomas Szasz 1920-2012
(FYI: The following 2000-words
detail why ‘Health’ should replace ‘Peace’ as Rotary International’s original principal
of service. After these are two 300-word drafts condensing key
points if you prefer less reading. Below
those are three valuable links outside of Rotary that will resonate
with any healthy mind. Go there first if
you prefer being educated and inspired by those outside of Rotary.)
Monkeys will always fight other monkeys. But mass murder is not in human nature. It originates in the minds of powerful
leaders convincing other minds and those with a bitter heart to mass
murder. This mental vulnerability/sickness
will only be cured by ‘we the people’ of the world - prioritizing health as humankind’s
greatest wealth. Health of mind, body,
spirit, family, community, environment, government, economy, culture... Anything
less than this leading to ‘liberty and justice for all’ is unsustainable.
Health for Wealth, Peace,
Freedom, and Sustainable Security
(that Peace alone cannot
ensure)
Monkeys will always fight other monkeys. But mass murder is not in human nature. It originates in the minds of powerful
leaders convincing other minds and those with a bitter heart to mass
murder. This mental vulnerability/sickness
will only be cured by ‘we the people’ of the world - prioritizing health as humankind’s
greatest wealth. Health of mind, body,
spirit, family, community, environment, government, economy, culture... Anything
less than this leading to ‘liberty and justice for all’ is unsustainable.
10 ‘Health’ priority benefits
vs existing Peace appeal (9-18-25
draft)
1.
Why Health should
be Rotary’s Core Peace Priority: Peace
was Rotary’s first goal established over 120 years ago. But Peace is an ambiguous word, and peace efforts
have rarely worked. The evolution of
weapons and war motivated by hate cannot be stopped. The spread of diseases and hate can be. Advances in mental health can out pace advances
in technology’s killing capacity getting cheaper and easier each month. Meanwhile efforts to save lives from life
threatening health problems are cheaper and easier with consistent and measurable
success outcomes.
2.
Peace is
vague; health is specific and measurable.
“Peace” can mean absence of war. A ceasefire.
Trading land for Peace. Peace through strength dominates now. Social harmony or inner calm – unlikely as
political polarization from Truth decay accelerates tensions between religions
and nations. Health outcomes however, like maternal health,
child survival, reduced disease rates, increased life expectancy, plus quality
of life, are relatively easy to afford and achieve by investing in preventive measures.
3. Health is the foundation of peace: Healthy populations and communities are more stable, resilient, prosperous, and less prone to conflict. While illnesses, malnutrition, poverty, and epidemics destabilize societies. These often spark violence.
4.
Prevention
saves more lives and resources: Investing in community health systems,
vaccines, and nutrition efforts work to prevent crises that would later require
costly peacekeeping or humanitarian aid. Health unites where peace often divides.
5. Calls for peace often fall into political debates that rarely end well: Health programs—vaccinations, clean water, maternal care—are universally accepted and even embraced. And these can be globally achieved. Rotary’s track record is in health program successes. And now nearing the eradication of polio. Rotary’s most visible achievement. No memorable equivalent Rotary “peace” success can be pointed to.
6. Health investments address today’s real threats: Pandemics, bioweapons, climate-linked diseases, extreme climate events, toxic chemicals, and chronic illness. These kill far more people than wars. The greatest security threats remain health-related, not in reducing conflicts . Nearly 10 people (mostly children) die daily from preventable health problems - for each life lost in conflict.
7. Health builds trust and goodwill: Providing health related services strengthens Rotary’s credibility and global partnerships with other organizations and governments. A community will forever remember who saved their children, Few will remember who delivered a speech on peace. Ceasefires and Peace Keeping missions rarely succeed. Health efforts almost always achieve life altering moments.
8.
Health links
directly to each of Rotary’s seven service areas. Education,
water, sanitation, economic development, and even peace all depends on healthy
populations. And progress in them collectively reduce a significant root cause
of conflict – high Infant Mortality Rates (IMR & U5MR). As Rotarians
prioritize their individual focus only one or two, they diminish the power of a
united effect. Uniting siloed Rotary efforts
can improve health progress on all pillars by prioritizing health. And with Rotary International or any other
globally focused organization leading a global ‘Health for all’ campaign - to urgently
achieve the SDGs by 2030 would gain global recognition for comprehensively and
holistically tackling most human and environmental threats (including
war). This goes way beyond this season’s
slogan of “Uniting for Good”, It would
be ‘Uniting to Keep Humankind and Nature Healthy’.
9. Health gives Rotary global relevance: By leading in global health, Rotary would exponentially increase its current and impactful efforts in the 21st century while conflicts persist and existing peace efforts flounder. Sticking to “peace” risks becoming symbolic, outdated and ineffective. Humankind needs another approach.
10. Health improvements are relatively easy to identify, measure,
and control. Means of violence are not. Advances in technology over the past four decades
have made it increasingly difficult to monitor and verify the existence of
weapons - and the ability to control their use. Meanwhile, advancements in the same
technologies make it increasingly easy to monitor, verify and control the
spread of infectious disease, human rights abuse, and environmental harms.
Given the indebtedness of most governments already struggling to strengthen
their military or use them in conflicts, the cost savings of wise investment in
prevention would be infinitely better. Imagine
money saved in preventing simple illnesses or the next pandemic (from nature, biolab
accident, or intentional release) disrupting supply chains, business profits, our
food and energy production, safety, and distribution systems.
10 Reasons why Rotarians should reconsider keeping Peace
as a Priority
1. Peace was Rotary’s founding vision to build fellowship as a central value was noble. Dropping peace may feel like abandoning its roots and moral identity. But legacy is sentimental, not strategic. And clinging to history can prevent adaptation to our modern challenges. Rotary’s founders could not have anticipated pandemics, climate-linked health crises, extreme weather events, global inequality, Truth decay, or the hateful/lethal political polarization now accelerating. Rotary’s 4-way test remains a global antidote to the spreading insanity of humanity.
2. The ultimate outcome of global Peace is not happening without putting justice for all, the protection of human rights, and the environment - above the protection of national sovereignty and corporate power. Humankind is now held hostage by nations with nuclear weapons on the UN Security Council. Changing this is highly unlikely. However, addressing the root causes of war, genocide, and WMD proliferation by achieving the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals - can affordably take humankind in that direction faster, further, and with fewer roadblocks. Health, education, and economic development are the best means to broaden cooperative global conditions. Conditions that could foster a change in the flawed global governance system that Rotary helped draft in 1943. Achieving the SDGs will also contribute most to peace at both the community and personal level - as human security threats diminish locally. While peace is desirable, it is often intangible and reactive. Without measurable foundations like health, education, and development, calls for peace are highly unlikely to produce real-world results.
3. While Peace has s popular universal moral appeal and the word resonates across cultures and religions as a timeless aspiration, the global Peace movement has been losing ground. Consider the rise in conflicts over the last 3 decades. Rotary is unlikely to change this trajectory by redefining peace. Especially within this era of Truth decay and increasing political polarization. Inspirational ambiguous words alone don’t save lives. Health-focused initiatives are based on objective evidence that resonate morally and practically with most people immediately seeing and feeling the impacts of vaccines, clean water, nutrition, and other primary health care benefits.
4. It is true that Peace connects all seven areas of RI focus. But this connection is indirect. Health, education, and clean water have immediate, measurable benefits, whereas “peace” remains an abstract goal, dependent on factors far beyond the control of Rotary, the global peace movement, or even the United Nations.
5. While Rotary “Peace” efforts give Rotary a seat at high-level conversations with governments, the UN, and NGOs diplomatic -- this symbolic influence and high-level recognition do not guarantee effectiveness. Being “at the table” is hollow if Rotary cannot demonstrate concrete outcomes. Health programs provide them. Fast, relatively cheap, and with measurable credibility. Such credibility can help frame issues within more workable geopolitical terms.
6. Peace can transcend politics. But in practice, peace can be highly political. And deciding who is “at fault” in conflicts remains highly controversial. Health projects tend to avoid political entanglements, enabling action in more effective and sustainable contexts.
7. Health campaigns can be controversial (vaccines, reproductive health, Female Genital Mutilation). Rotary’s non-political brand only means non-partisan politics. Rotary’s 4-way test depends on objective Truths, not personal or political party truths. These can vary within every community, even every family. Under these conditions Rotary risks appearing symbolic rather than effective when we prioritize an unmeasurable goal like peace. Especially when compared to organizations achieving dramatic health outcomes.
8. While Rotary may be widely recognized for promoting peace through dialogue, youth exchanges, and conflict resolution programs that are much needed and valued, rebranding around health will NOT dilute what makes these Rotary distinctive efforts unwanted or not needed, even when compared to other health-focused NGOs. Prevention, the key Health concept, addresses root causes of violence. Violence that often stems from poverty, disease, and malnutrition, concrete health interventions that directly reduce conflict more reliably than abstract peace programs. Existing Rotary Peace Programs have great value in linking these on the community level. Suggesting they will have a sustainable and effective impact on global peace efforts in this era of multiple accelerating negative forces...appears naïve or overly optimistic. Optimism feels good and boosts one’s immune system but too often fails to contribute to measurable results.
9. Peace is endlessly ambiguous. Trading land for peace or rewarding those who commit war crimes, ethnic cleansing, or genocides - can be extremely divisive and unresolvable. The symbolic power of “peacebuilding” does not save lives at that level. Health programs provide tangible stories of success, motivating members, attracting new partners, and uniting larger health organizations more effectively than abstract ideals.
10. United, the three major movements (Peace, Environment, economic/social/human rights
Justice) can overpower any other specialized advocacy coalition (economic,
political or religious). Uniting these
movements into a MoM (Movement of Movement) would exponentially increase
awareness of RI globally, as well as making measurable progress on many of the
169 subgoals within the UN 17 SDGs. This
can be done by encouraging every nation to create an annual “Service above Self
Day” event (in the US 4th of July daytime 2026) where months before then
(Dec 10th Human Rights Day, or April 7 World Health Day) bring local
community leaders from organizations within each movement together (likely for the
first time) to identify 1, 2 or 3 of the SDG subgoals they will all participate
in, by working together on that day.
United we stand a chance! Continuing divided as we always have been-
will not end well.
Sustainable Development Goals https://sdgs.un.org/
169 targets within the 17 SDGs. https://www.gdpexpert.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/UN-SDGs-17-With-169-Targets.pdf
Health must be prioritized, Peace may remain a cherished principle.
Unfortunately, its ambiguous nature will not be changed by trying to redefine
it. To engineer a new bridge to achieve a
free, sustainable, and prosperous global peace the builders must use precise words. Unambiguous words must be used globally - if
reliable and sustainable products are intended to save lives and protect nature.
This is how the SDGs were created in
2015 to be achieved by 2030. Rapid progress on this is needed. And RI could be the leader making this
happen.
Health is unambiguous: Health of minds, bodies, the human spirit, families, communities, environment, governments, businesses, economics...
(FYI: Below are 2 condensed 300-word drafts of this initial 2000-word version. Plus, very valuable links outside of Rotary to make this campaign resonate with any healthy mind.)
Prioritizing Health will greatly elevate Rotary’s
Impact for the rest of the 21st Century
For over 120 years, Rotary International has
championed peace as its defining mission. While noble, “peace” is an abstract
and ambiguous goal. Today’s global challenges—pandemics, malnutrition, and
preventable diseases—pose far greater risks to stability and human flourishing
than conflicts between armies alone. Rotary’s seven areas of focus already
include health, education, clean water, and economic development, demonstrating
that the organization recognizes the practical levers of global well-being. Yet
the movement’s rhetorical centerpiece remains peace, leaving its most
measurable and transformative work in the shadows.
Why health should lead:
- Measurable outcomes:
Health initiatives—vaccinations, maternal care, disease prevention—deliver
quantifiable results that save lives and strengthen communities. Peace, by
contrast, is difficult to measure and often reactive.
- Prevention builds
stability: Healthy populations are more resilient, economically
productive, and less likely to experience conflict. Addressing health
threats prevents crises before they destabilize societies, making peace a
natural byproduct rather than an aspirational target.
- Universal acceptance:
Health programs transcend political, religious, and cultural barriers.
Everyone benefits from clean water, disease prevention, and child
survival. Peace initiatives, while morally compelling, often encounter
controversy and ambiguity in practice.
- Track record of
success: Rotary’s near-eradication of polio demonstrates what a
health-focused campaign can achieve. Comparable successes in peace are
symbolic at best, leaving communities unable to see tangible impact.
Health does not replace peace—it enables it. By prioritizing health, Rotary directly addresses
root causes of instability and builds trust, goodwill, and long-term
resilience. Peace becomes the outcome, not the elusive target.
Conclusion: Rotary
can honor its legacy while embracing the realities of the 21st century.
Elevating health to the highest priority ensures that Rotary is not only
inspiring but effective, delivering measurable impact that creates the lasting
peace, human security, and a sustainable environment the world truly wants and needs
(Condensed logic for
Health as the root of peace.)
Health First: Rotary’s Path to Sustainable Peace
For over a century, Rotary has championed peace as its
defining mission. Yet today, “peace” is abstract and unlikely, while
preventable diseases, malnutrition, and weak health systems threaten millions
and destabilize societies - with Rotary’s seven areas of focus—especially
disease prevention and maternal-child health—already tackling some of the greatest
root causes of human suffering. Yet RI’s
rhetorical centerpiece remains peace, leaving its most effective work
underemphasized.
Prioritizing health is not charity or service for the
sake of service above self. Health is
strategy. Healthy populations are more resilient, productive, and less prone to
conflict. Vaccines, clean water, nutrition, and clean environment prevent
crises that later demand costly interventions. Health and environmental programs
are measurable, almost universally accepted, and deliver tangible results,
unlike symbolic calls for peace alone.
Peace can remain Rotary’s guiding principle—but as the
outcome, not the primary driver or target. By placing health first, Rotary can honor its Polio
legacy while adapting to the 21st century, saving lives, strengthening
communities, and achieving a sustainable environment with the lasting peace humankind
has always sought.
Remember! “Everything is connected, everything is
interdependent, so everything is vulnerable.... And that’s why this has to be a
more than whole of government, a more than whole of nation [effort]. It really
has to be a global effort....” Jen Easterly, Director of CISA (Cyber and
Infrastructure Security Agency - our nation’s newest federal agency established
in 2018) Oct. 29, 2021 https://www.c-span.org/video/?515706-1/protecting-critical-infrastructure FYI: CISA was
hacked in January 2025 shortly after Trump replaced her as CISA’s
Director. And, the word ‘everything’ is
an autological word – defining itself.
Additional RESOURCES:
World Economic Forum illustrates how all issues are globally connected.
https://intelligence.weforum.org/topics/a1Gb0000000LHN7EAO
Next is one example of a large global health
organization now putting health in the context of human safety, national
security, and a healthy environment.
https://globalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GlobalHealthSecurityBrief.pdf
“National security cannot
be the primary justification for global health security decisions. This
approach is not only unsustainable, but also unjust.” Global Health Council 2025
As their Issues and Advocacy Director on global health
concerns in the mid-90s I submitted Congressional Testimony to the House
Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations in both 1996 and ’97 linking
biosecurity to every aspect of national security. For copies by email requests from Project250@earthlink.net.
July 2025 Brookings Inst. Published ‘From
aid-driven to investment-driven models of sustainable development’ Amar
Bhattacharya, Homi Kharas, and co-authors call for shifting from aid-driven to
investment-led sustainable development in emerging economies, outlining
priorities, financing gaps, and policy pathways.
Bill Gates: I’m Still Optimistic About Global Health Sep 18, 2025
https://time.com/7317395/bill-gates-im-optimistic-global-health/
One of humanity’s most stunning achievements is something most people don’t even realize happened.
In 2000, more than 10 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. Today, it’s less than 5 million. The world cut child mortality in half, in just 25 years.
It’s an amazing success story. But the story’s not over yet. In fact, right now, the next chapter is being written as governments around the world set their budgets. And global leaders have a once-in-a generation chance to do something extraordinary.
The choices they make now—whether to go forward with proposed steep cuts to health aid, or to give the world’s children the chance they deserve to live a healthy life—will determine what kind of future we leave the next generation.
To save as many children as possible, I'm urging leaders to increase health funding. But say they simply sustained current levels. What would happen? Our foundation worked with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington to find out—and the results were more hopeful than I expected.
If the world invests in child health and scales lifesaving innovations, we could cut child deaths in half again over the next 20 years.
We have a road map to get there. We know how to stretch every dollar to save the most lives. And the pipeline of affordable health innovation is stronger than ever before.
A suite of new approaches to malaria, including innovations that prevent mosquitoes from carrying parasites, could all but eradicate the disease. New maternal vaccines can protect babies from respiratory diseases, which are the biggest killers of newborns. And long-acting HIV treatments and prevention options that replace daily pills can drive AIDS deaths to single digits. With the right level of investment and focus, it’s possible that HIV/AIDS, once the world’s deadliest pandemic, could become a medical footnote.
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