WORLD HUMANIST DAY

Humanism is democratic, rational, international, solidary. With its universal claim, it is directed at all people. We should remember this more strongly considering the crisis caused by the coronavirus, said Michael Bauer, president of the European Humanist Federation, in reference to today’s World Humanist Day: “Social isolation, the lack of social contact, the disruption of our cherished habits and a great uncertainty about the time ahead. These and other stressors have greatly shaped the experience of 2020 for all of us. And like so many, I am relieved that we can slowly approach a certain normality in social coexistence again and recover from the difficult last months. I would like to thank everyone who, once again, sided with scientific thinking and reason-based action over the past year in order to work together to overcome the effects of the pandemic. In the face of the renewed rise of extremist and conspiracy ideological groups, I believe it has been proven again that the core principles of humanist thought and action are indispensable in dealing with crisis situations, both locally and globally. Once again, humanists emphasized the importance of reason last year. However: social isolation, the lack of familiar contacts, existential health and economic problems, fear of the future – the things we experienced last year – are a common experience for humanist-minded people in other parts of the world.”

Michael Bauer also pointed out that despite all our problems in Europe, we must not forget that we as Europeans enjoy many privileges, are allowed to live in peace, enjoy not only freedom of thought and expression to the widest extent, but also a comparatively high level of economic prosperity, a passable education system and social security. “Many people in other parts of the world can only dream of this. World Humanist Day reminds us, not least, that international solidarity is one of the most important humanist virtues.“