On October 25, HSS celebrated 15 years since the Society’s founding and held a Secular Assembly that encouraged attendees to infuse life with meaning.
Secular Assembly: Finding Meaning
The afternoon began with a lively Secular Assembly that offered approaches for finding meaning in life when one feels unable to progress.
Leading an interactive workshop and sharing session on the topic of “Finding Meaning When You Feel Stuck in Life”, Registered Counsellor Deborah Koh guided attendees to discover and reconnect with their personal values as the fundamental building blocks of a fulfilling life.
The session showed us that while the instinctive reaction to feeling stuck may be to withdraw from challenges, this reaction can be addressed with various strategies. These include:
- accepting that uncertainty and failure are part of a meaningful life;
- detaching yourself from thoughts that are unhelpful;
- and self-reflection to achieve clarity on your core values.
15th Anniversary Gathering: A Look Back and Forward
With attendees energised by the workshop, the mood swiftly shifted to one of celebration for the Society’s 15th Anniversary Gathering!
A major highlight was an intimate fireside chat featuring past and present HSS leadership. Moderated by current HSS Vice-President Xiang Hong, the speakers comprised the Society’s founding and early Executive Committee (Exco) members (Eugene, Jianyue and Huifen) alongside current HSS President (Melvin). This intergenerational conversation brought to light memorable moments from the past and shared aspirations for the Society’s next chapter.
Speakers candidly shared insights on topics that included:
- HSS’ notable achievements. As examples of major achievements by the Society, speakers cited the international Humanist conferences hosted by HSS and its various collaborations with government statutory boards over the years. These events have helped HSS make its mark and reflect that it has a level of trust from local authorities.
- Vision for the Society’s public image. President Melvin spoke on his hope for the Society to be better connected to Humanist communities in the region, and to be seen as a bastion of critical thinking.
- How to keep HSS going. Speakers suggested:
- An Exco that is willing to learn and experiment and that keeps the trust of attendees and volunteers
- Continually holding events to bring in new members
- Looking to other long-running groups for applicable lessons
The Exco also honoured a number of HSS members for their contributions to the Society with awards for Best Member, Best Volunteer, Community Builder and Best Newcomer. Our sincere congratulations to all the worthy recipients! Your gifts of time and effort—along with those of every volunteer—are the driving force of our Humanist community, and we are profoundly grateful for your service.
The gathering wrapped up with a spread of finger food, including homemade dishes contributed by members, and a special birthday cake. The cake celebrated both recent birthdays (in line with our Secular Assembly tradition) and the landmark achievement of 15 years of serving as a voice for the non-religious in Singapore.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special day. Your presence, participation, and stories are what make our Humanist community vibrant. Here’s to many more years of promoting reason, compassion, and meaningful living!
