As you open this magazine, do you automatically feel part of a New Zealand Humanist community? Part of a world-wide Humanist Community? The first, I hope. The second should be so for those lucky enough to have taken part in international Humanist gatherings. But freethought magazine readers everywhere, in the comfort of their own armchairs or computer stations, can relate to the words of Humanists from almost every country in the world. We come to realise we can feel much more at ease with a freethinker from Asia, or Africa, than with a New Zealand fundamentalist living next door.
As I understand it, Humanist Manifesto 2000 is really about our working to develop that instinctive Humanist community of interest, into a wider community united in Humanity's interest - beginning in small groups and eventually encompassing the 'majority' of human beings on our planet so that we are working together for planetary survival.
('Majority' - because the most inclusive social systems ever devised seem to be unable to prevent all totally anti-social behaviour from some of their members. Humanists generally seem to spend less time than perhaps we should, considering how to deal with the baser aspects of human nature, a subject we need to confront in any practical plans for planetary survival.) Especially for people who think outside the square in which they find themselves living, 'Community' built around life stances, philosophies etc., tends to happen almost serendipitously. Joining in discussions with reasonably similar minded others has intrinsic interest that brings people together. But that is 'community' at only one level - the intellectual. I question whether that kind of community of interest is enough to underpin the huge should-be-instinctive need for human beings to pull together that the Humanist Manifesto 2000 dreams of.
The churches have always understood about building communities. Their people come together because of a belief - and perhaps a fear - but the organisers build on all the other spin-offs that coming together have for most people - the opportunities for socialising, being validated in their beliefs by others around them, being uplifted by ritual, ceremonial, music. Symbols of all kinds play their part in many differing ways.
The Masons, even the tail-twisting Lions, have developed their rituals in fairly recent times, as have many others - New Age groups, witches covens, etc. Deliberately constructed 'communities' are happening all around us, some with little depth, or even any moral basis. Not only can one now do a Polytechnic course on being an official celebrant, an evening class is being offered on constructing your own ceremonies for any and every occasion.
So 'community' can grow with age in ritualistic ways, based on shared, agreed beliefs, or it can be created fairly quickly, even in your own back yard or with considerable sophistication and power, as did Hitler in Germany, and other fascist dictators.
But I'm arguing here that there's a deeper kind of 'community' that develops over time, through working together for common ends and via shared experiences. Our recent Summer Gathering at Quaker Acres in Wanganui, where we discussed the Manifesto, brought together memories of "what we did here nine years ago" to be shared with newcomers and children for whom it could be a foundation of their growing understanding of that community. The Newsletter of the Association of Rationalists and Humanists tells of working parties to restore Rationalist House and its grounds to former, or better than former, glory. 'Community' is perhaps like 'happiness' - more deeply present when it is not being searched for.
Nevertheless, I believe this issue is one that Humanists who take the growth of our movement as seriously as do the signatories of Humanist Manifesto 2000 (and that should be all of us), need to be continuously aware of - monitoring and checking if, and how, that deeper sense of community is growing and expanding in an increasing number of people. And often it will need a few calculated nudges along the way.
There is a place for planned ritual, symbols and songs, etc. that involves and hopefully uplifts people; and an even greater need for those developmental experiences that unite people at a deeper level because they are working for a common goal. Most Humanists are probably doing this sort of thing in specific voluntary organisations. I feel we need to take a more determined lead as Humanists in relevant public issues. The Wellington branch's sponsoring of the Cambodian refugee families via the churches' refugee organization was an example of this.
If we could do more of this sort of thing, the positive aspects of our philosophy would be made publicly clear to those who have never heard of us, and we would be deliberately enlarging our 'community' beyond that of our own small Humanist groups. By working alongside other groups we would develop this 'building community' with those whose views may differ from our own, modelling the dream of Humanist Manifesto 2000. In fact, its practical implementation cannot begin a day too soon.
Jeanne van Gorkom is a Humanist marriage celebrant and Taranaki member of the Humanist Society of New Zealand.
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