Pilgrim in America

Noon, just came home from the humanists. I rode there with bike, across the Broadway Bridge. Getting used to traffic. The place was called Friendly House. At the entrance the same name tags. Small room, sat down in the back row. Similar people, most of them seem retired. About 100. After I sat down an elderly man came and asked if I was attending for the first time. Yes, I said, I was from Hungary. "Gulyás" "Csirkepaprikás", "Budapest" "Buda and Pest", he recites. He visited there, and liked it very much. He told me he would introduce the newcomers. When the program started he came right to me with a microphone. I had to tell my name, where I came from, and also that I found out about the HGP on the Internet.

The lecturer was a university professor over 60, a lively person. Title of his lecture: America's Role in a Multi-polar World. Northwest Humanist Monthly:

Professor Robert Schmidt will host a 5-part series on "New Directions in American Foreing Policy". Professor Schmidt will discuss what changes in American foreign policy might make for a safer world. Should America work more closely with Russia and Latin America? Should we recognize Cuba? What about a one-state solution for Israel / Palestine? How might we end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? What is necessary to deal with failed states and those that oppress their own people? This course will explore new options and changes in American foreign policy.

Flyer: Robert Schmidt has taught International Relations, Theology, and World Religions at Concordia University in Portland. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science and several graduate degrees in Theology. He has taught and lectured in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Germany, Japan, China, Kazakstan, and India and also traveled in Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Mexico. He has lectured recently at Clark College, The Humanists of Greater Portland, the Senior Studies Institute, several Oasis classes, Terwilliger Plaza and at Willamette View.

He used a projector, flashing pictures, pointing with infrared light to maps. Very organized, vividly descriptive. He enumerated America's role in the world events after First World War. After the II. WW the US had mainly peace keeping role. Later on took part in several wars with different purposes. Today the US is not a hegemony anymore. Its interest in wars is not always humanitarian, but often has financial motivations. After lecture a half hour discussion: questions, answers, the microphone is passed around.

In the end program recommendations (e.g. Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea is having a lecture in December). The host has a suggestion from the part of the community: there should be music too, just like in a church, but he adds: of course, he means classical and modern pieces. At the door a wooden bowl with banknotes. There is a form, I fill it in with my addresses. Gathering some fliers, saying hello to Dave.

Nice place, I had a good time. The humanist association (AHA) is a secular one - this is emphasized. There are many atheistic allusions (see the fliers), while there is an effort to create a community which has the same role as a church. They have Sunday meetings and ministers, who "officiate at weddings, memorial services, rites of passages, and counsel humanists and the community in ethical and philosophical questions, servicing as the humanist equivalent of traditional clergy."

I bought 4 pieces of fried chicken wings at Fred Meyer's: $3,56. Quite expensive. It was good but instead of tasting salty it tasted sweet.

Afternoon. A clear sky and bright sunshine. Bike tour to Columbia river. On my way there I had a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. I took some pictures.

The sun was sinking fast, so I rode just as far as the river. Arrived back home in 45 minutes.