Let All Our Lights Brighten the Darkness

Greetings Lions!

It is my great pleasure to address the Lion community for the first time as your International President.

As we enter a new Lion year I have high hopes for us. My focus during my presidency is on fostering diversity in service. After all, there are more than 1.4 million Lions around the world, and each of us is unique. And every one matters. This means that we have to do more than just recognize what makes us different. We have to embrace it.

There is a path I walk in my hometown of Busan, South Korea. I wake up early, before sunrise, and walk. It clears my head, and it’s good for my spirit. I particularly enjoy watching the change from darkness to light. When I begin the day I am in the dark. As I walk, my mind clears and the sky brightens. Over the course of that walk, how I see the world is, literally, transformed.

It’s always interesting to see something from another vantage point. Whether it’s in a new light or from someone else’s perspective. Often, you see things you couldn’t see before. Let your fellow Lions and your community be the sun. Let them shine light on what you may not have seen. You may not agree with how they see things, but only by looking at things clearly in the light of day can we hope to find common ground.

And perhaps among all those points of view you’ll be able to see solutions to issues your community faces that you hadn’t been able to see before.

I truly believe that by embracing diversity we will grow—as Lions and as people.

Here’s to the beginning of a new year of serving through diversity.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jung-Yul Choi

International President, Lions Clubs International