Rejecting resignation and nihilism

The Presidium of the Humanist Association of Germany (HVD) today called for the importance of the International Day of Peace to be remembered, which was proclaimed by the United Nations 30 years ago. Among other things, the aim is to achieve a day of ceasefire and non-violence on Earth. “There are still good reasons to take another serious look at the ideas behind this day,” said Frieder Otto Wolf, President of the HVD. The UN resolution on the World Day of Peace stated that wars begin in the minds of people and therefore the defense of peace must also begin in human minds. Political and economic treaties were deemed insufficient to guarantee a sustainable and viable peace. The intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity must serve as a foundation, the resolution also declared. “The statements have lost none of their relevance to this day,” said Wolf. The International Day of World Peace can therefore not only serve to honor the efforts of countless national or international organizations and initiatives in the pursuit of a more peaceful global society. The day could also provide an opportunity to reflect on the prerequisites for the idea of the World Day of Peace to continue to be preserved and disseminated as a real utopia by responsible people and to promote its implementation in reality. The spread of resigned and nihilistic attitudes, which do not want to attest to the importance or actual impossibility of the World Day of Peace, must be clearly rejected. Wolf: “Everyone is free to adopt a pessimistic attitude personally. From a humanist perspective, however, it does not seem legitimate in the face of major challenges to transfer these views to people who want to promote the ideas and the goal of peace between the world’s cultures. That is a concern worth protecting.” Frieder Otto Wolf also said that there cannot be a fixed plan for the realization of lasting and sustainable peace in the global community. Since the steady growth of more peaceful conditions depends on the cooperation of as many people as possible, cooperation and the ability to reach consensus should be recognized as important prerequisites. Openness to new ideas and critical reflection must remain indispensable. “For us, scientific knowledge, the ability to act on the basis of rational reason and empathy are, alongside hope, effective and efficient means of reducing conflict and suffering. It would be unreasonable to do without them,” Wolf concluded. Humanists should support initiatives and organizations that promote peace in the world in this way and encourage their fellow human beings to do the same.