Dear humanists, dear friends and fellow human beings! The most beautiful fruit of justice is peace of mind, said the philosopher Epicurus.[1] Now that we are once again facing days that may give us an opportunity to reflect on peace of mind or the happiness of such a feeling, may I address a few words to all people who feel close to or are particularly connected to our common ideas and our community. I recognize that the pursuit of justice and peace of mind are two of the motives that unite us, make us close to each other and enable us to act together. However, before I present further thoughts on this, as President of the Humanist Association of Germany, I also see it as my duty to express my gratitude – detached from the day-to-day business of our Federal Association and its Executive Committee. Both to the humanists in our association and to the many other people who have become aware of our concerns, ideas and goals over the past year, who have supported and promoted them, lived them in practice or acted in their spirit. This diverse commitment is a treasure for everyone! Last but not least, the joint and constant effort has also given my responsibility and my inner conviction that humanism is conceivable, feasible and tangible in the present, with this, according to Epicurus, most beautiful fruit of justice. I would like to continue to devote my strength and attention to all the sincere and serious striving for humanism that I have already been able to see or have not yet been able to discover. The most beautiful fruit of justice is peace of mind, as Epicurus once said. Peace of the soul, peace in the soul or for the soul – many names exist for what is supposed to make the contentment of the mind, the harmony of our powers or the inner harmony of heart and mind understandable. I may state that it is a natural need and legitimate desire of every human being to gain peace of mind. And this in no way means that he or she simply wants to close their eyes, forget all their worries and lean back and relax as much as possible. Rather, it requires a clear awareness of what needs to be done – and that people do their part to get it done. The special days of celebration and contemplation around the winter solstice and the end of the year should also offer as many of us as possible the opportunity to gain peace of mind by taking a step back and reflecting without fleeing from our problems and tasks. But how can we achieve this? A resolution passed at this year’s 18th World Humanist Congress in Oslo also spoke of peace and inner harmony. Peace is more than the absence of war, it said in the jointly adopted Oslo Declaration on Peace[2] and continued: “Peace requires respect for the worth and dignity of each of our fellow human beings, tolerance among individuals and harmony within each person.” Harmony in every person – something similar or at least very closely related to Epicurean peace of mind – would therefore be a prerequisite for the more comprehensive peace we are striving for. Should it be a coincidence that this motif became part of the explanation?
Hardly! Peace of mind is not only the best consequence of justice, but also a prerequisite for a more comprehensive peace within and between communities – a legitimate and highly desirable goal for humanists! Where the satisfaction of the mind or the harmony of heart and spirit is seen as the most beautiful fruit of justice and as a prerequisite for more general peace – and why should humanistically-minded people not do this – the question of justice as a pivotal point in thinking certainly takes on a special significance. I would therefore like to invite you to devote renewed attention to thoughts on justice in the coming days. With our critical and open minds, we can ask ourselves where and why unrealized justice is the cause of the lack of peace of mind within and between people. Let us also ask ourselves once again how and why our own peace of mind or that of our fellow human beings can be or is threatened or impaired by a lack of justice. Let us ask ourselves where we can use our own abilities and talents to improve and develop in the coming period in line with our shared humanist convictions and ideals! Humanists who do not allow their view of reality to be obscured cannot avoid noticing the existing unrest or upheavals in many areas of society and even remarkable crises when asking such questions today. More and more grievances are becoming visible, in everyday life and through the media. At this point, I would therefore also like to plead for the contradictions and ruptures in economic, social and political issues that have now become or are still becoming increasingly visible to be comprehensively included in our considerations. Let us ask ourselves what, from a humanistic perspective, stands in the way of realizing and securing general peace between communities, comprehensive justice and inner harmony for people and how we can overcome these blockades or obstacles to our cultural development together! Even if the conclusions from such considerations would mean, in the words of the humanist Julian Huxley, “that we must break the dangerous habit of judging every human product solely by its material usefulness or by the profit that can be made from it.”[3] Huxley also advocated the idea that “quantity of material products must be a means to an end, not an end in itself.” Today’s developments are increasingly showing that, in the end, the problem areas that have emerged are as significant and challenging as those that Huxley identified some five decades ago. We should face up to these facts. The most beautiful fruit of justice is peace of mind and everyone has a right to it! As President of the Humanist Association of Germany, I will continue to dedicate myself to the realization of justice, which can create inner harmony, secure peace and reduce suffering. In the coming year, I will continue to devote my strength and attention to all sincere and serious striving for modern and practical humanism.
Humanists, our dear friends and fellow human beings, I ask you in this spirit to accompany, expand and perfect every endeavor! With humanist greetings
Frieder Otto Wolf
[1] Epicurus: Philosophy of Joy. A selection from his writings. Translated, explained and introduced by Johannes Mewaldt. Kröner, Stuttgart 1973 [2] http://www.iheu.org/oslo-declaration-peace, accessed December 20, 2011 [3] The basic ideas of evolutionary humanism. In: Evolutionary Humanism. Huxley, Julian (ed.), C.H. Beck, Munich 1964
