A Letter of Encouragement to Young Humanists
By: Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Tags: Humanism, Africa, Viola Namyalo, Religion, Young Humanists

By Viola Namyalo

Being a humanist and being open about it in a strongly religious country such as Uganda is not a cup of tea. Many people get surprised when they get to know that I am a Humanist and that I put people first not gods in my life. Some people think I am crazy and stupid, others think I am being used by the devil since their holy books tell them who ever doesn’t believe in their God has a connection with the devil while others think I am copying the western culture.

Telling people about your faith status is an individual choice, every one face different challenges while open about this. Some people may feel comfortable to stay in the closet perhaps in fear to lose their families, their jobs and friends, while others will feel comfortable to tell a few people. Opening up shouldn’t be hard, however it should be done carefully, this can be a little difficult to deal with on your own. There are several questions, young nonbelievers ask and they need answers but cannot find them, share with the humanist community in your country/region they are there to help you out.

HOW CAN I OPEN UP

Opening up takes courage, I personally love and respect people who are open about being humanists/atheists. They are a reason why I am here today writing as a proud humanist. Before I identified myself as a humanist, I realized I questioned my faith and always shared my questions with the people I stayed with at home, my fellow students and my friends. At that time, I was just sharing my thoughts with people surrounding me, whenever a conversation about religion came along, I could respectfully give my thoughts, Some people seemed to understand my reasoning while others thought I was starting to go the wrong way. At first I also thought I was doing wrong to question my faith and the almighty God but when I came to know about the Humanist community in Uganda, I realized my thinking and reasoning was not a wrong thing. I started sharing my thoughts openly, thanks to the several Open Talk Debates I attended courtesy of HALEA Youth Support Centre, they gave me a chance to express my ideas freely. By the time I decided to open up, it was not very surprising to my friends and people around me.

I know there are many people out there who question their beliefs, perhaps don’t like the religions they were brought up in but fear to open up because they think it’s wrong to question or run away from religion. Today, I want to tell you that questioning your religion is not a wrong thing, it’s your right to question anything that doesn’t satisfy you. If you find yourself satisfied with the explanations and evidence given, it’s also your right to believe, if you are not satisfied with the explanations and evidence given, it’s your right not to believe. You can be a non believer who is happy and equally moral. Don’t be forced by society, friends, family to live your life uncomfortably pretending to believe in something you truly doubt. You need to take courage and let them know your stand. I know this is a little hard however, there is nothing as good as living your life without pretence.

You need to be careful, you don’t start jumping up and down forcing people to listen to you telling them how their belief system is flawed. You need to be respectful as a matter of fact. Humanism teaches us to be humane and to be considerate all the time. Respectfully share your thoughts with people around you, people love to hear different ideas presented in a respectful way, you will see some people understanding your thoughts. On the other hand, others (majority in most cases) will not understand you but that should not stop you from being yourself. By the time you will decide to open up, it will not be a surprise, and because you present your thoughts respectfully people who disagree with you will still respect you.

Avoid negative energy, associate more with a people that understand you. If you find yourself in a situation where no one understands you or perhaps you can be in danger once they find out about your being an atheist/humanist, share your thoughts with the humanist/atheists community in your country, they are there to help you out. They will give you advice on how you can be safe but still enjoy your life as a humanist/atheist.

WHY DO I NEED TO OPEN UP

To hide who you are will make you live a life of pretence, you will need to think about whether pretending is less or more stressful than being open. Don’t feel under pressure to come out, take your time, do it only when you feel uncomfortable with whatever is going on in your life and ready to open up. Opening up, speaking up comes with self discovery, improved self esteem and confidence, it is your life, it is vital that you open up at one point in time, do not be shy.

Being in that closet makes you feel like you are alone which makes things harder for you. You need to know that out here, we have an open community, full of people like you. It is very important for you to define yourself, you will find likeminded people to associate with, help the community grow and encourage other people to get out of their closets.

There is nothing as good as living your life without fear and pretence. Take your time, share your ideas respectfully, once you feel ready, go ahead and open up. You are not alone, seek help and you will be served.

Viola Namyalo

Chair Young Humanists International

African working group

Photo by Viola Namyalo