We always wish us all the best when a new year arrives; the best of luck, health, success, love and happiness. And of course, when looking back to 2014, we must realise the reality of life; we get sickness, pain, trouble, failure, fiasco and death. That normally strikes us more than the luck and good things we wish, because we take it for granted. Each day is like a year, with a beginning and an end. PATAS begun nearly 4 years ago, so it is still young, still at the beginning, on the way to full maturity. We fall and we stand up, and when we stand up, we have learned to do things better.
Our network is expanding, our recognition increasing. PATAS is featured in international press, has been invited to the World Humanist Conference in Oxford, and has built the bridge to Atheism and Agnosticism, hence the non religious way of life, through active Humanism, shown through our Free Medical Clinic, for example. The brave step into that part of society in need. “Good without god”, “Humanism without theism”; spearheaded by Tess Termulo, our Medical Doctor and President of PATAS and Yek Lai Fatt, our Chairman of the organization. The project is in its developing stage, and the aim is to grow this mission to a permanent service to humanity, to the dear Filipino citizens in need. Serving and catering to the needs of the people who now smile and feel helped through action, rather than through wishes only.
And our LGBT community. PATAS sparked the flame of positive scandal. The straight – gay kiss. A symbolic act of tearing down the wall of intolerance, hate, homophobia and ignorance. How much more support can our “straight”allies show, than to kiss in public with the same sex. “Straight without hate”, our motto will be continued, with new faces and new supporters in 2015. But for now, our thanks go to Rath Ryott representing the straight allies, and our one and only Sunny Garcia, representing the LGBT wing. Personally, I feel satisfied, that PATAS is in strong support of this important Human Rights movement, but when marching the road, every December, I still see too many LGBT's paving the sidewalk, rather than joining in. I will keep on pushing for a change, as Manilas streets are long, and many can fit in our pride march.
The Philippines has still a long way to defeat or reduce superstition, the beliefs and fear in all kinds of man made elements, like gods, spirits, angels, devils, demons, witches and so on. All over the world people are criticizing humanism, specially in combination with Atheism or Agnosticism. They claim non religious people are lost and left without a moral compass, guideline or direction. I have observed this not only here, but also in Africa. And as an eye wittiness, I can only stress out, that there is no less moral or healthy with each other when just being a Humanist or non religious. One of my biggest examples of pushing Humanism and Atheism in a religious strongly infiltrated country, is Dr. Tai Solarin, who built up secular school system in Nigeria. He stated in a clear way: "Morality has to do with life and only in its mundane and down to earth consideration."
We come across religious or superstitious meaning claims every single day, and we may think, its just a part of culture, tradition or local life. Many may think its not easy to escape the religious escapades, and often we don't even know, that we have been lured into it. Take the fire works for instance; we as rational non believers see the rockets and the paintings they draw in the sky as a play of colors and just an act of fun. But for some it has a superstitious meaning. Fireworks are used to drive away the evil in China. Basically, man has made man to keep him/herself busy with the actors of the sky, and that throughout life, day in day out. We on the other side, keep ourself busy with the dealings on earth, and that is what is needed to move forward. As I mentioned before, too many LGBT's decorate the side of the street when we are marching for them, their rights. The belief system is so strong, that it even confuses, compromises and suppresses the ones it opposes, leading them to even more incredible acrobatic acts of excuse and interpretation, to , in an unnatural style, still find a way to fit in. But at what cost? At the cost of health and compromise.
Religion asks for high prices, heavy sacrifices and unnatural acts. When living in West Africa, I was able to observe complete tribes being robbed of their original culture and history. People belonging to the tribe of the Mandinka, the Fula or the Woloff, mostly didn't even know their origins. They described themselves as Muslim Africans, living the religious doctrines. Sculpturing, their original way of creating “living art” has often been banned, leaving just a hand full of artists continuing the tribal art, but due to criticism, are not able to find full support. African masks are produced, yes, but basically for tourists. When you enter a house of a Fula or a Mandinka, one will hardly find any art featuring human faces or living creatures. Every nation and its citizens have a pride, but that pride is too often replaced by a non traditional, religious one. Hundreds, no thousands of years history, wiped out by the forceful invasion of foreign religion and practice.
Expression, and to be allowed to, is a treasure. This country has all that it needs to go for it. Talents are all over the country, they just need to come out. PATAS can and will grow, but it can only be with you. We live in an era where technology and Internet dominates. We write less letters, we e-mail. We meet less in person, we make a phone call or Skype, we make less walks together, we drive and fly. The danger behind this fantastic invention though is isolation. We don't see each other face, we can't feel if we went to far with what we said. Coming out in person, is the way to move, the way to grow a movement. The EDSA revolution was only possible because people went onto the street, in huge masses, not because of commenting online or signing online petitions, disregarding that most were not online anyway that time. What are 12000 online members compared to 30 meet up attendees for example? Hence, what is more important, the physical count or the virtual one?
With this, I would like to call upon the readers and online members. PATAS needs you, PATAS can only be with you, PATAS can only grow with you. Our VPTeam, which I created in 2013 needs writers and documentaries and reports. Our Medical Clinic needs volunteers, friendly doctors and nurses, to assist the present team. Our youth and the new Youth Commission needs your support and participation. Our LGBT community and wing BATAS needs your voice and action. Our elderly need your hand and your ear.
2015 will again be full of surprises, achievements, success, yet also back falls, tears and sweat. Year by year we learn, we rethink, we shuffle the cards new. One day your present leaders of this organization will retire to normal members, and new faces will appear to give fresh and different impulses. An organization is therefor never something personal, never a loyalty to a person, but a flag raised high for the movement, the ideology, the mission and vision.
I want to close with another outstanding African man, a musician from Nigeria, who is also no longer alive, just like Tai Solarin. Tai was an Atheist Humanist activist, he Fela Kuti a political activist opposing religion and dictatorships. Nigeria is definitely more hard to act and come out as non religious, but these brave men did. All is possible. When is your turn?
Fela Kuti experienced an inner wakening that resulted in the rejection of Christianity of his family, which has been adopted by them as part of their colonial subjugation.
He said: “Idiots – my great grand father died looking for Jesus. My grandfather died. Jesus didn’t come. Well, my father said he was wise and that he is not going to wait until Jesus will come. And he too is dead. If I look at both of them I take my father being the wisest.”
Cheers towards 2015 – in any and every way it appears to us.
By Thomas Fleckner
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