In addition to WorldHumanist Day, the occasion for the congress was also 40 years of humanist life skills lessons at schools in Berlin and Brandenburg. This should be celebrated, said Katrin Raczynski, Chair of the Board of the Humanist Association Berlin-Brandenburg, in her opening speech. “With currently over 70,000 pupils, almost half a million pupils who have attended these lessons and over 400 teachers, Humanist Life Studies is one of the largest European humanist educational activities and strengthens democracy like hardly any other school subject.”
Regarding the current situation in Germany, Katrin Raczynski said that many people are afraid of the future and some are paralyzed or try to ignore the threats. “We humanists can’t solve all the problems of our time in one fell swoop, we don’t have an answer to everything, and certainly not always simple answers. But we approach things with reason and compassion. We reflect, we struggle for answers and solutions, we try to provide support and orientation in these difficult times. We hope for a future worth living and are convinced that people can only improve their own living conditions.”
The State Secretary for Social Cohesion, Oliver Friederici, expressly thanked the Humanist Association Berlin-Brandenburg on behalf of the state of Berlin for its social and integrative efforts and achievements in the state of Berlin. On the topic of the Future Congress, he recalled the current major challenges and called for the path of understanding to be continued. He said: “There is not just one future, but different ‘futures’. And we can all shape which of them will become reality. Because our future is by no means set in stone, the future can and will be shaped and influenced. That is its nature.”
In his keynote speech, the American sociologist Phil Zuckerman described democracy as a “fundamental value of humanism. Unlike religious doctrines, democracy is a concept developed through human reason and experience. It promotes fairness, justice and equality by ensuring that governments are accountable to the people. History shows that where humanism is strong, democracy thrives. In North America and Europe, for example, democratic institutions have succeeded largely thanks to secular, humanist influences.”
The values of humanism – democracy, empathy, cosmopolitanism and a focus on the here and now – are crucial, says Phil Zuckerman, to overcoming the challenges of today and building a better future. “By embracing these principles, we can create a world that is meaningful, just and prosperous for all.”
