Posted: 12 months ago

WHEN CLOSE (LOCAL), MAKE IT CLOSER; WHEN FAR (GLOBAL), MAKE IT CLOSE! THIS IS THE ADVICE THAT I GIVE MYSELF AS ALL OF US STUMBLE INTO THE ‘FLAT WORLD’ OF GLOBALIZATION, INDIVIDUAL DECISION-MAKING AND FLEXIBLE THINKING. ALL THAT IS PAST IS TRULY PASSED. WE MAKE OUR WAY BY EXAMINING EACH ACTION WITH AN INDIVIDUAL OR A TEAM THAT ACTS LIKE AN INDIVIDUAL (NOT ANY LONGER A NATION OR A CORPORATION). As one looks at where we live, if we live in the global community where the Internet and instant communications are the norm (that 40-50% of the world that embraces all the technology of the 21^st century in action and thought), then we live where close is close and far is also close (but we know the difference and act accordingly). In the one case, local thinking and actions, we spin networks of friends face to face, physical personality to physical personality; in the latter case, global thinking and actions, we communicate with others vast distances away who become close through instantaneous virtual contact (we may never meet the individual who we feel that we know and respect but we see his or her skills, talents, personal passion, etc. through the communications that they allow us to view). When close, hold that person who we respect and love closer; when far, bring that person who we learn to know and respect close through our openness and sharing of skills/talents.  We find today that we communicate with creative, critical thinking individuals on the basis of their ‘communication skills’ when the contact is instant but distant.

In the past, say the 19^th and early 20^th century, nations communicated and did business with nations; the middle and late 20^th century, businesses and corporations did business with similar commercial partners across seas and borders; today, it is individuals with vision who work with distant individuals with vision (and maybe other complimentary attributes and talents).

The needed skills that each partner needs is flexibility of thought and actions on an instant basis (Malcolm Caldwell’s person who can discover the truth in a ‘Blink’ instead of weighed thinking over a period of time). An individual in the ‘flat world’ needs to be a creative,  shape-shifter who can adjust to changing situations as they happen and make a disadvantage into a wealth of advantage. This individual makes reality out of dreams, and learning experiences out of mistakes. This person can woo from afar and be academically analytical from close up while still holding onto his or her humanity that is needed to survive in any local environment. 

When working with individuals, standardized rules cannot work. They can be guideposts when two people are almost identical or a group. When working with those living in the past, standardized guidelines are possible because they respond and work as part of a pack, instead of individuals. But it is a mistake to work with highly individualized persons in this way. They are those who have embraced the 21^st century and therefore must be dealt with through logic centered round their specific situation and personality (plus their individual contribution to the business, the community and the ‘pack’ of individuals (that normally are at the head of a clan, a business or a specific community). We deal with these individuals with ‘common sense’; that is always changing as the times change swiftly. We make exceptions for the exceptional individual who is critical to a team that gets ‘something done right’. The outcome of this ‘right thinking’ can be wealth in a business, creative passion in the arts, respect and admiration in entertainment and sports, and hero worship in politics and religion. The person who is in tune with his times has no problems singing the song of his or her age. And this person is listened to by other individuals who are in tune with the age (in this case, the 21^st century’s ‘flat world’).  

In the arts, it takes a person who knows the past, lives in the present but dreams in the future. He or she thinks in collage, gestalt and ‘parallax vision’ techniques. He or she has his feet planted firmly on the ground of that moment in history while his head sees the world from the stars (plus the future) and his heart is in beat with his fellow dreamers NOW.

One must be a juggler of the body, the emotions and the mind working together to survive the problem of living in the 21^st century.

No century before moved as fast; no century in the past pushed so many challenges and opportunities in front of our working hands (where the trick is to know one from the other); no century before opened as many doors in as many countries for those with education, a will to succeed, the adventurous spirit to risk all in a roll of the dice, and the knowledge to hedge any bets (a backup plan to a backup plan to a backup plan).   

The 21^st century is filled with disasters and opportunities. It is a century where one can wake in the morning and say, “Now, that is an interesting way to live. I think that I will go there today (in my mind or my spirit). I think that I will make far close and not forget to make close a romance of passion.”

Posted: 11 months ago

Each month, I write a newsletter to the members of Rotary Global History Fellowship. When the message is such that it also could be transposed over to our eClub, I place it here on the forum. I felt that this one, August's Newsletter to members, was appropriate for that dual purpose. It is called 'THE REAL ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM'.

Dear RGFH Members:
 
Have you ever had an “ah ha” that said: “I am wrong”. It hit me this morning while exercising on the stationary bike at the YMCA. I mentioned to our Board that we had ‘an elephant in the room’ and I thought it was appropriate to introduce him. I thought that it was the 'lack of webmasters' for the amount of material that RGHF placed on the Internet. I was wrong. The real 'elephant in the room' is the aging of Rotary. RI's leadership has seen this aging for years, eroding the membership of many 'terra Rotary clubs'. We are feeling this with Rotary Global History. I love what Norm (our sage from New Zealand) said: "It is better to rust away than fade away" and "If I wake in the morning and something hurts, I know it still works." What I view as wonderful is that our leadership is varied with some older members who have learned to prioritize personal, professional and RGHF service (we all on the Executive Committee find time to serve something that we feel is important and precious to keep going) and youth. Five of us on the EC are old in years (two of those are young old); four are from the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ Generations.  We have four young men on our EC, all accomplished, all with ideas that will bring us into the 21st century as a fellowship for a new generation. We do not need ‘the past’ taken over as our leaders of RGHF, we need ‘the future’. One young leader cannot since Rotary has plucked him already to serve next year in a leadership position in Scotland. In Rotary Global History Fellowship, we are constantly mixing the past with the present to emerge better in the future. Our challenge is for all of us, who are a little gray at the temples (plus others who care), to find and mentor a young person to bring them into Rotary and eventually, when the time is right, to suggest joining RGHF. Our membership has a vast knowledge of Rotary to assist anyone that steps forward. To greet the ‘real elephant in the room', we need to build a dinosaur, a revised and refined organization ("a job for everyone so that everyone is not burdened but serves RGHF").  ‘Youth' and 'young ideas' are the wellspring for the future. That is RGHF’s 'elephant' (our aging leadership); in fact, that is Rotary's "elephant in the room". Along with ‘youth’ comes special people that are comfortable with the Internet, with new technology, with communications like Facebook (and all the rest that comes tomorrow in this 'flat world'). The past, our older Rotarians (myself included), and the future, those who are young in mind and spirit, are a partnership, a secret key, to open new doors for  Rotary and RGHF. Maybe you too can have an ‘ah ha’ where you realize and introduce ‘the elephant in the room’ and move forward!
 
Joe Kagle, Chairman/President, Rotary Global History Fellowship, 2007-2010 

Posted: 10 months ago

RGHF: A PEOPLE SALAD

A mix of tastes and talents

When I came into this job as Chairman/President in 2007, we were seven years into collecting Rotary Global History and reaching a tipping point in our website (then it was too much material to find, too few webmasters to do the job and we already had over 3000 pages of collected material in our first seven years), our membership was just below 100 and the Board numbered 17 from around the world. The ingredients for a Global History ‘people salad’ (something with a mix of many tastes and many cultural blends) were already in place but needing a push. Our founders and our historians were still functioning well with dedication and passion for the mission. I remember at that time reading Henry Ford’s statement: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

In two an a half years, the members of your board came together, kept a core of leadership nicely mixed of old and new RGHF Rotarians, that now make plans for additional success. This month (this last year) we are seeing that success. Our membership is now almost 400 (a growth of 300 percent). And with the work that has been done, like expanding our fellowship with Facebook (a project that connects us all under the leadership of Prakash Saraswat, who was recently appointed assistant secretary and treasurer of our 2009 Board in case something happened to our wonderful Geri Appel and Norm Winterbottom), and taking our message of Rotary Global History to worldwide districts by our zone representatives, talking to individuals Rotary clubs and to conferences around the world, we plan to meet an ‘impossible-a-few-years-ago’ total of 1000 members by the 2010  Montreal RI Convention.

We all feel that we are ready for another plateau jump in the size of our membership, our Board (now 40 members covering the globe), our webmasters, our historians, and our Executive Committee (who meets each month,  between our 72-hour end of the month Board eMeeting). Our mission of service to Rotarians of getting out the information about Rotary Global History is a success because we are “working together”. Each success though is the ground level for the next goal.  Much of this recent success is the tremendous accomplishments of our Founder, Jack Selway, on his working vacation (with the help of many others from our ranks). He is an example of keeping a working perspective on what is needed and who are the people we need to help us succeed. This pattern is what I call A People Salad, a mix of ingredients of different tastes to create one important dish fit for all Rotarians.

TO MAKE A POINT ABOUT PEOPLE IN GENERAL AND RGHF IN PARTICULAR, HERE ARE TWO QUIZZES (this is a philosophy that is taken from Charles Schultz, the creator of Peanuts): 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. 6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners. 

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers in this group. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. 

HERE IS ANOTHER QUIZ: 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.  4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!! 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. 

A PEOPLE SALAD FOR RGHF: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials…or the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most. This is true in personal experience and I have found that it is true between Rotarians (especially those who have cared and worked for Rotary Global History Fellowship, through the years and now too). “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Joe Kagle, Chairman/President, Rotary Global History Fellowship, 2007-2010