from Keith – Chair of Lancashire Humanists
When involved in discussions about my humanism, I am often asked about how long I have been a humanist. The answer essentially is, probably longer than I actually realised it. Whilst I decided to become an atheist in my early teens, it took many years and experiences in life that led to my evolution into a “Humanist” (as I see myself now).
Along the way several things contributed to my humanist views developing. A major one of these was many years volunteering with Samaritans, which helped me develop skills that I hope to use through some of the pastoral care options. It taught me a lot about accepting others and trying to see life through their eyes. This is something that I try to do in every encounter and steers my approach to many situations.
I firmly believe there is no after life or another life in eternity, but I do enjoy interacting with those who do have religious beliefs which they follow.
We can respect each other as human beings and look to what we have in common. As part of this, I have taken place in various interfaith activities in the county and am now involved with Building Bridges Preston.
My personal politics is one that leads me to look to how we can make the lives of others better and care for those who need support.
Whilst individuals may already choose to volunteer in organisations that help others, my ambition is to see our humanist group actively involved alongside other groups to facilitate a project to help a vulnerable group and thereby help foster a positive image of Humanism.
Having chaired Lancashire Humanists for a number of years, I have also looked at how I can be involved in increasing awareness of Humanism. I do this via delivering school talks at the request of the RE lead in various schools across the county. In the future we are now working towards how we can make this available to other community groups.
One thing seems clear to me. We live in a diverse culture and the way forward (towards a more peaceful and supportive world) is by looking for opportunities to build community.
