Vikas Gora*

It is high time that Humanism moved away from its old notions and thought afresh. Mere criticism of religion and its practices is not enough. In fact, religion itself is changing its nuances to face the challenges of the times. Because of its enormous wealth and the institutions that it commands, religion appears to be on the rise, but in reality it is not making any headway and people are moving away from religion in their practices. Centuries of accumulated wealth and control of the institutions, and the patronage of governments and powers that supported religion, make it appear to be on sound footing, but appearances are deceptive. Humanism must develop as a way of life. It should discard some of its old planks and channel its energies into tackling the problems that confront ordinary people. Merely academic approaches or solutions will not endear them to the majority of people-it is their day-to-day problems that require their urgent attention. It is true that people are moving away from religion, but they have not yet come closer to the humanist perspective because the humanist alternative still needs to show that it is capable of delivering the goods. A merely intellectual appreciation of Humanism will not yield the desired results. What matters is to commit our lives to the ideas we profess. Instead of trying to parallel religion, Humanists must think afresh. We should build new institutions, new organizations and give new hopes to people that their future is intertwined with this new approach. This means building bridges of friendship with larger sections of society through service, commitment and innovative approaches. It is credibility that matters.

Challenges to Humanism

One of the biggest challenges to Humanism is the need to transform itself from an academic worldview to a practical way of life. To turn humanist ideals into reality is a very big challenge, which will require careful thought and concerted effort. It is high time that Humanists concentrated on the real issues that confront the majority of the people. Poverty, inequality, injustice, oppression, social justice and equity are the issues that matter to the poor and the downtrodden. How to inculcate the scientific temper among ordinary people is another major challenge. Today, religion is trying its best to utilize many of the inventions of science, but at the same time it is not open to promoting the scientific outlook. Humanists need to emphasize the scientific outlook that is the basis for critical examination and inquiry. Strengthening the avenues for humanist funding to help developing countries has become an urgent necessity; the thrust of this century should be the realization of social justice. In this way like-minded people in the developed world could add their weight to strengthening the secular ethos in developing countries. We should not forget that an overwhelming proportion of the world's population still lives in developing countries, and needs the support and cooperation of enlightened people in the developed world. To advocate and strengthen democratic institutions all over the world should be part and parcel of the humanist effort.

Humanism and education

Humanists must concentrate on building educational institutions and on making inroads into the educational system to secularise it and enable people to develop a questioning spirit and their faculties for critical inquiry. Alternative educational institutions, textbooks and literature are very much needed. Humans are not only rational, but also emotional. Their psychological needs must be taken into account and building bridges of friendship is of the utmost importance. A sense of belonging, of togetherness and of collective effort is the need of the hour. Similarly, in the coming years, Humanists must concentrate on providing services in the realm of social work, health and the other services that affect the lives of ordinary people. It is an effective way to demonstrate the efficacy of Humanism as an alternate way of life and its readiness to shoulder responsibilities in a credible way.

Humanism and organization

In the coming decades and while the humanist movement remains small, it will be the quality of its work that attracts attention. Mere numbers may not add to its effectiveness. It is the critical intervention that makes all the difference. Casting the net very wide will not yield the desired results. To make a mark, Humanism must be very sharp, clear and unambiguous. It should be uncompromising on its fundamentals, but at the same time it should make common cause with others for wider outreach. Forcing people towards unanimity will not yield the desired results. People resist uniformity both overtly and covertly. Decentralization is the answer. There may be networks of organizations as and when the need is felt, but it is not possible to put people into organizational straight-jackets. A single organization for the entire country may not be possible. Give people a choice. Organizations should be like platforms-a link for a common cause.

Humanism and the family

When stress is laid on an alternative way of life, the family becomes the basic unit for the development of Humanism and atheism in daily life. The family not only fulfils emotional needs, but is also the smallest unit for collective action in a cohesive manner. Family ties should no doubt be on the basis of equality and gender justice. But at the same time, the importance of the family in building an alternate life stance should not be underestimated. It provides emotional as well as practical support. It is a nursery for new thought and approaches that can have a long-lasting impact on people's minds. In other words, people's attitudes and aptitudes for years to come take shape to a large extent in the formative period of childhood.

Humanism and the environment

Humanism is inseparable from the environment. The growing problem of environmental destruction and the urgent need to safeguard the environment are forcing people to be innovative in their approaches and programs. Most of India's environmental movements have emerged in the hope of bringing about change in the policies that affect the population. No movement has given up the struggle on the grounds that 'fate' is more powerful than the 'will of the people'. On the contrary, the people concerned continue to fight to achieve their objectives. Climate change and global warming have been recent scary developments. But sadly many of those involved tend to magnify the issues so much that an individual feels out of place and unqualified or incapable of bringing about change for the better. Humanists have a role to play in showing that an eco-friendly lifestyle can lessen the consequences of environmental degradation. It brings to the fore the necessity of developing alternative sources of energy, such as solar and wind power. If our attention were turned from war to peace, it would not be difficult to explore alternatives within a short space of time, as the necessary resources and research would be focused on this issue.

Looking ahead

At the global level, IHEU has made its presence known. In the second part of its first century it will move further and with redoubled vigor to face the seemingly insurmountable challenges posed by globalization and commercialization. IHEU will be both a beacon of light and a common platform where people of every non-religious complexion can come together to compare notes and plan strategies to carry forward the struggle of making the world a better place to live.

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* Vikas Gora, (1973, India) is a professional social worker and an environmental journalist. He is involved in the comprehensive rural development activities of the Atheist Centre and in 2001 was the CommonSense-IHEYO Internee at the American Humanist Association.

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International Humanist and Ethical Union 1952-2002
Past, present and future
Bert Gasenbeek and Babu Gogineni (eds.)
Copyright © 2002 by De Tijdstroom uitgeverij.
Republished 2006 at http://www.iheu.org with permission
ISBN 90 5898 041 3 nur 730, 740
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