The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster, FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
The ideal of service - of taking action to improve conditions in the world - is at the very heart of being a Rotarian. The facets addressed by the first three objects of Rotary, namely acquaintance, high ethical standards, and the application of the ideal of service to our personal, business and community life are all key and essential elements that support the fourth, which is the advancement of world understanding, goodwill and peace through the fellowship of Rotarians united in the ideal of service. That’s what it all comes down to - taking action at the individual, Club and District level to continuously reach for those ideals.
Rotary is a world fellowship of men and women united in taking action to achieve the ideal of service. Rotarians take action to achieve understanding, goodwill and peace through our shared membership in Rotary International, through the lens of our seven Areas of Focus, via a myriad of ways, large and small, to build and strengthen the bonds of understanding - Peace Fellowships, Scholarships, Grants, the Vocational Exchange program, the Rotary Youth Exchange program for high school students, Rotary Alumni, our Annual Meeting (in Tapei, Republic of China this year) - and even the custom of exchanging Club banners when Rotarians visit one another’s Clubs - if you think about it, you’ll see that practically everything we seek to accomplish as Rotarians strives towards that ideal - to increase world understanding, goodwill and peace.