We will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the HVD at the beginning of 2013. We still have a good year ahead of us before then, and “good” here does not just mean in terms of time: the conditions for the message of secular humanism have never been as favorable as they are today.
More and more people are losing faith in the placebos of religion and see themselves as self-thinkers. More and more people are turning their backs on the big churches with their high expectations, both internally and externally. More and more people are consciously constructing their own world view, are curious about the progress of science and at the same time are facing up to the challenges of contemporary moral reasoning. They become the bearers of a debate on values without blinkers.
The influence of the HVD as an organization is all too often very limited. Why is that? Is it because it is an organization, an association, a committee-laden structure, cumbersome and fixated on decisions? Is it the paradox of organized individuality, the apparent impossibility of bundling the ideas of the many into a single audible voice? Is it due to signs of fatigue in the full-time apparatus, which over the years turn idealistic revolutionaries into champions of their own pension schemes?
Nobody is prevented from bringing movement into the scene. The HVD is an organization in the making, inhomogeneous in its structures and heterogeneous in its activities. However, this cannot be an excuse for hesitation and tactics, but only an incentive to confidently develop one’s own contribution. Secular humanism does not tolerate service by the book.
Ideological questions are too serious for that. And the alternatives are too dangerous. Let us not forget: in other parts of the world, life and freedom are under threat. We enjoy prosperity and have all the freedoms. Anyone who complains here is doing so at a high level. No one prevents us from seizing the opportunities of the present – as enlighteners, as atheists and humanists, as seekers and researchers, as citizens of the world and friends of humanity. Who, if not us? Where, if not here? When, if not now?
This is not about an organization. Organizations are a means to an end. Humanism is people. But some interests are easier to pursue together, some goals can only be achieved with organizations. That is why we use the status of a “worldview community”, even if there are free spirits outside the HVD who do not understand this. In the secular-humanist camp and in the association, the similarities are always more important than the differences.
The HVD continues to work in a friendly and critical division of labour with other organizations. We still have a lot planned. To do this, we need full-time employees and volunteers, large and small national associations, sponsorships of social institutions, educational events, academies and foundations. The renewal of the magazine diesseits was successful in 2011, and an up-to-date online presence diesseits.de was added. Press and public relations work was improved. The Federal Association will have the “Humanist Self-Conception” revised in 2012 – further basic texts may follow. A Humanist Day in June is in preparation.
We are therefore looking forward to the challenges of the coming year with zest for action and anticipation. As humanists, we know that life is finite: Life is finite. Let’s take advantage of its opportunities, let’s seize the day. He will not return. Here’s to a happy and successful 2012!
Helmut Fink
