(play The Sound of Silence as you read)
The Sound of Silence
Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In December 2012, after the brutal tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, I wrote a piece for the 5550Opinions blog titled
Rotary, Peace Through Service, Families and Guns in America where I wrote “Rotarians worldwide, but especially Rotarian’s in the United States of America must rise up as one voice and condemn this violence within their own house.”
But Rotary International remained silent.
The darkness continued until 3 years later almost to the day I tried again. This time after the massacre at San Bernardino to get Rotary to take a stand in favour of peace and family with a piece titled: Shame on America’s Rotarians and their Silence on Guns
But Rotary International remained silent.
So
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a streetlamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
That’s when President Obama gave a passionate speech on “Common-Sense Gun Reform” and in January 2016, I asked What Can Rotarians Do to Help President Obama Achieve “Common Sense Gun Reform”?
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dare
Disturb the sound of silence
Not “maybe more” but 30,000 every year Obama cried, and now it appears that there were Rotarians, at least 17 of them plus General Secretary John Hewko who sat around a table on our behalf and pondered the question of Rotary International’s silence.
Meanwhile I went on thinking:
“Fools” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence
Go and reread the 188 comments generated HERE by Rotarians and now in response to Policy 2,100 they continue HERE and HERE their homage to
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said “The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence”
So kudos to our fellow Rotarians: Germ, Riseley, Jones, Lin, Ahlberg, Alloneau, Aufranc, Desai, Dinca, Howaed, Mulkerrin, Offer, Rattanavich, Rohrs, Carreno, Siva, Trevaskis, Wentz and Hewko for being the “prophets” who wrote on Rotary’s wall that clubs and districts will no long glorify “guns, weapons and other armaments”
It is indeed a “whisper” but it is a start. Now let’s make it a chorus and shout it out and break the “Sound of Silence”.
We the 4 
April 13, 2017 at 4:13 pm
It is a shame that tools and objects are blamed for the evil done in this world rather than those who do evil.
It is not possible to eliminate all things that might be turned to evil purposes, it is far better to work on turning hearts and minds from evil itself.
That is the Truth!
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April 13, 2017 at 6:00 pm
Ted, yes humans do evil things. They also create things for specifically, evil purposes. Many types of firearms fall into that category. They were created as weapons of war. Note Rotary specifically, mentions the terms weapons, and armaments.
The problem with your statement is that it appears to criticize Rotary’s action and/ justify the policy of guns which are weapons in America.
It is my opinion that this policy is aimed specifically at Amrican Rotarian’s who can’t see the difference between a guns utility in hunting to feed oneself or defend ones personhood and guns created as armaments for the purpose of war.
That my friend is where the NRA want qoff the track years ago and has since corrupted the social cohesion of American society.
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April 14, 2017 at 3:35 pm
Quite frankly, the policy appears to be aimed precisely at American Rotarians who DO KNOW the difference between a gun’s utility in hunting and personal defense versus guns created as armaments for the purpose of war. It is the new policy that lumps guns used for sport with weapons and armaments created for the purpose of war.
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April 14, 2017 at 3:46 pm
Bill, I agree it does. However, I think Rotary had little choice and I believe you can blame the NRA, your legislators and Supreme Court for that. Early in its history, the NRA was a responsible organisation protecting the rights of hunters and guns as a sport and then somewhere along the way it went extreme and lost the difference between a rifle and a weapon made for war. You, of course, know the rest of the story.
It is that difference that I cannot tolerate. As you probably know my career was in education where I held 8 different positions from the time I started as an elementary school teacher and retired as a chief superintendent. Between Columbine and Sandy Hook, I lost all respect for American’s inability to counter the influence of the NRA and create laws to protect its citizens against the tragedy of gun violence, most especially it’s defenceless 6-year-olds.
The fact that Rotarians in the USA can tolerate the NRA and its defence of weapons of war and can’t tell the difference is appalling. What makes Rotary so special is the strength of the values which underlies it. If Rotary was to modify its policy which would recognise the difference would be acceptable to me. Is that even possible in the USA at this time? I suspect the Rotary board didn’t think so!
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April 14, 2017 at 7:04 pm
Actually John, the RI Board could handle this in the same way that it handles its position on alcohol. The policy that they “clarified” mentions “alcohol (when inappropriate in a specific cultural context)”. Firearms could be handled in a similar manner, and RI could even add a distinction between guns used for sporting purposes and personal defense versus those used for violent activities including armed conflict. As written, all weapons are lumped into a single category which I might add includes commemorative knives, archery equipment, and military hardware.
For the record, I am not a member of the NRA and the only gun I own is a 70 year old hunting shotgun that was given to me by my father. I have no problem with the prohibition against displaying the Rotary Mark on a firearm, nor do I have a problem with the RI Board protecting the Rotary brand; but the policy as written goes far beyond protecting the brand. It is in fact a political statement that was quietly passed without prior notification to or input from affected parties, and a political statement that is hiding behind questionable issues of public image and financial liability.
John, we will never agree on whether Rotary should abandon its longstanding prohibition on corporate political statements. Rotarians in the USA have always joined with Rotarians worldwide in tolerating the existence of many organizations and political beliefs. Such tolerance requires us to remain neutral (and therefore silent) on contentious issues. That neutrality allows Rotary to do good work in many regions where other organizations are excluded. I therefore believe that Rotary neutrality and the policy that codifies it should remain one of the underpinnings of our beloved organization.
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April 15, 2017 at 1:35 am
Bill, I fully understand the need for neutrality on political issues, even though I push the boundaries of it when I feel it is necessary. I try to ask what or how can Rotary not enter into the debate but do something constructive within the area of the debate. That in itself is enough to accuse me of being political in the minds of many Rotarians.
I do not happen to own a gun. I do happen to live in an area of Canada which is a mecca for hunters of moose, bear, deer, wolves, partridges etc. They all roam my property from time to time. Both of my neighbours’ hunt. This is pick-up country. So I know the culture.
I have no idea what prompted the Board to create Policy 2.100. Personally, I would hate to see them backtrack on it now that they have created it and stirred up a hornet’s nest, Basically, it is benign and likely affects very few clubs as a percentage of all clubs even in America.
Obviously, you and many Rotarians perceive it as a “political statement”. There may be political undertones but it is at best indirect. It is a little like my fictional post on whether a Don Trump would be approved for membership in a Rotary club.
I guess Donald and Guns are much alike, they both generate strong reactions. I’m glad I live up here. BTW, next week I will be in Texas, fishing.
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April 16, 2017 at 12:02 am
The meme says it: Protect your home from a killer. If you have a gun in your home, it is more likely to injure or kill someone than protect them. Suicides with a handgun, people killed by a child, accidents all provide the path to death and injury. Sensible legislation prevents some of this.
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May 2, 2017 at 7:51 pm
These comments are from the e-Club of Up-State new York
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May 17, 2017 at 7:36 pm
Unfortunately this will mean an exit from Rotary for many very good, law abiding members. And it won’t change a thing in our society because you are attacking the wrong people. They say the change was made because insurance won’t cover. What is the cost of insurance?
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May 17, 2017 at 8:09 pm
Bud, I didn’t attack anyone. I merely supported the policy and congratulated the board on its decision. The real issue between you and me is that you perceive this as an attack.
Why? What is there about Americans, including many Rotarian’s who see this as an attack on their way of life. Why do you tolerate attacks on your children by madman and do nothing about it? Why do you permit over 30,000 deaths a year by firearms when no other democracy tolerates such carnage. Your freedom stops at the door of my freedom to live is safety away from the threat of guns.
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May 17, 2017 at 9:51 pm
Well we agree on one thing. Our perceptions are different. Most likely because we grew up in different cultures. As I’m sure you have seen gun rights in America are fundamental to our freedoms and has been in our Constitution for nearly 240 years. Our founders distrusted central government and believed in individual rights including gun rights. This is not very common in most of the world. Yet it seems everyone wants to come here. With freedom comes personal responsibility and people in Rotary who don’t understand this want to chip away at our freedom. Personal freedom is everything to us. Our people in the military give their lives around the world because they understand. I would give my life today to protect it because it is so precious. So yes I consider this an “attack” on me personally by all those in Rotary who still don’t understand. And I don’t even own a gun.
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May 18, 2017 at 12:49 am
Bud, you blow me away! I am a Canadian, we have guns too and I even live in hunting and fishing territory where we make a living off of Americans who like those activities. Check out Bonny Bay Camp on Lake Wabigoon. It is almost at the end of my driveway. I also do not and never have owned a gun. But I do fish.
I have every freedom you have and in many ways, I think I am freer than you might be. Freedom is not just what is written into a constitution. It is about how tolerant a society is to all its members. How much peer pressure or societal; pressure to conform do you face?
I see you being forced to conform to your society’s new modern definition of the 2nd Amendment as defined by the NRA. It wasn’t always that way. It only began after the movement of the Black Panthers and the riots of the 60’s and the Black power movement. As it stands guns are a symbol of “white privilege”. I bet a Black man in a free to carry a gun state wouldn’t last 5 minutes if he actually did.
You haven’t answered any of my questions, especially regarding Sandy Hook and the nil response from your Congress. To me, Sany Hook is your Hiroshima. It was a bomb that went off and your legislators are so intimidated by the gun lobby they did nothing. That is not freedom. That is bondage. Bondage to something that the framers of your constitution could never have imagined even in their wildest fantasies.when they wrote the 2nd amendment.
I do not mean any of that to be insulting or personal. I am not an American. I live in a foreign country which with every passing year becomes more foreign to where we see America going.
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