What unites us towards the Universal Human Nation
Ten years after the Milan Forum, European Humanists have relaunched an initiative to bring together diverse organisations and movements from around the old continent, and beyond, in a demonstration of convergence to discover the common underlying problems facing all sectors of social and political activism.
With the slogan of “What unites us towards the Universal Human Nation” the organisers hope to start something that can inspire similar activities in other parts of the world and at all levels; regional, national and local.
In a specially written manifesto for the event, the organisers give the framing:
“We are at a crossroads in which the beliefs of the past and the images of the futures have collided, with both trying to impose themselves on the other. In a few decades the world has become planetary, creating unprecedented intercommunication between peoples and cultures, and an inter-penetration of their traditions, beliefs, values, their ways of life and conceptions of the world. Simultaneously, technological advances are creating an opening towards new horizons and are awakening aspirations that were dormant but are now pushing human beings to want to go beyond what we already know, beyond the allowable limits of space and time.”
Highlighting the manifestation of a new sensibility which is growing in younger generations, the aforementioned manifesto continues:
“A new sensibility is starting to appear strongly; the sensibility of humanity with a heightened vision in which some signs can be seen that are worthwhile investigating and go deeper into, namely; that human life is the central value in society while the environment and other species must be protected; that all human beings must have the same opportunities; that no one can be discriminated against; and that everyone has the right to discover their existential dimension and legitimately ask themselves about the meaning of their lives.”
Philippe Moal, from the organising team in Madrid, and one of the spokespersons for the event said, “Since the 1990s humanists have tried from time to time to provoke what we have called a ‘convergence of diversity’, understanding that the underlying problem we all face in today’s world regardless of whether we are activists in the fields of; nuclear disarmament, women’s rights, poverty eradication, environmental protection, education, health care, art, and many, many more, is the same, namely that our society is based on anti-humanist values all over the world.”
He continued, “Money has changed from being a tool for the exchange of goods and services, into a tool of oppression in the hands of the wealthy who impose the status quo through multiple forms of violence creating all kinds of human suffering, and in the process quite literally killing the planet. This has to stop and this can only be achieved when all of us working for a better world come together and join forces to support each other mutually”.
“No single organisation nor individual can make the necessary changes alone. The world will only change with the common effort of thousands upon thousands of organisations and individuals moving in the same direction of mutual respect, tolerance, freedom and nonviolence; creating the real progress that we so urgently need.”
“So far we have established 18 working areas that cover subjects as diverse as nuclear disarmament, to Universal Basic Income, Interculturality to the change of epoch & the psycho-social background, and as a kind of transversal thread will be present the subject of active nonviolence and non-discrimination, which is an underlying methodology to which we all subscribe.”
The Forum is due to take place in Madrid on the 11th, 12th and 13th of May, 2018.
Pressenza is an official media partner for the Forum and will be covering the entire event and the developments in the months leading up to it.
The full manifesto text can be found here.
The full list of working areas is as follows, and contact details for each area can be found on the website.
Achieving a world without nuclear weapons; Active nonviolence; Changing times and the psycho-social background; Collective works of art, as expressions of a new non-individualistic and selfish sensibility; Culture and Social Progress: The Prospects for a New Civilization; Good Knowledge; Humanist and nonviolent education; I exist because you exist: Experiences of feeling and interpreting others in a different way; Images as a tool for change; Interculturality, encounter and dialogue among human beings; Medicine: Big Pharma, governments and the people, Politics and social mysticism; Social Ecology, Social models and lifestyles; Technology for freedom and to improve the condition of humanity; Universal and unconditional basic income as a possibility for a mental leap; Women for nonviolence, the strength of femininity, and Independent journalism and social activism.
Press contact for English: tony.robinson@pressenza.com
