So voluntary organisations must come in and fill the gaps. Humanist movements in Britain are not doing enough in this respect, and they ought, for example, to plan a hostel for the homeless or training of skills for the unemployed. This would not only be beneficial in removing people from the poverty-stricken underclass, it would also give humanists a sense of purpose and achievement. Second, there can arise a tendency in social welfare organised by a bureaucratic state to develop dependence and to discourage independence and autonomy in the individual. We should then remember how Gora marched a thousand miles from Sevagram to Delhi to protest against the pomp of the political leaders, of how he removed flowers from a public park to demonstrate how ground should be used for vegetables when there were people going hungry.
Direct action can bring about change.
And humanists do believe in the power of the individual or group of people to bring about change. We are not perfect, we all have deficiencies and we must help each other. We do not expect to build a Utopia, but slowly and steadily to remove injustice, poverty and divisiveness. We must not forget self-fulfilment for we are strongly in favour of enjoying life to the full. That is why a festival to celebrate the Jubilee of the Atheist Centre must not neglect dance and music and poetry.