Final Word<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

For the organised Humanist movement growth is essential, however, for the last few years I have had second thoughts about it importance. Visiting small humanist groups around the world, I have learnt that the most important quality of organised Humanism is active members. This is what keeps our  movement  going,  and  achieving.  Humanist campaigns in Slovakia, in India, in Pakistan, in Egypt, in the US, in Argentina, in South Africa, in Australia are a testimony to this.

 

In  June,  IHEU  Director  Babu  Gogineni  and  I participated in the General Assembly of Secular Culture Society one of our Member Organisations in  Poland.  Poland  has  9  humanist/freethought groups. None of them is very large - only a handful of hardworking idealists - but fighting for freedom and equality, tolerance and justice. They publish magazines and distribute them to radical youth and intellectuals. These small groups play a more important role in Catholic Polish society today than many well established humanist organisations in other countries, with thousands of members, a paid staff and well equipped headquarters. These activists are our inspiration in the International movement. We need more of them.

 

The challenge for Humanists from all continents gathering at the 15th Humanist World Congress in Noordwijkerhout in the Netherlands this month is to get existing members to do something more for Humanism.  The  last  fifty  years  have  been  an exciting time for International Humanism, but the coming years hold the promise of greater success if we can manage to transform our members into activists. Don't we have some successful organisation builders out there who could give us a hand and help in devising the right Strategy?

 

Levi Fragell

President, IHEU