How HAPI Impacted Me (#8)

An essay series featuring retrospectives by HAPI members, staff, and leaders in celebration of its 8th Anniversary.

I’ll shoot it right away: here are three ways in which HAPI impacted me!

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A good friend introduced HAPI to me when I was still in transition from a fledgling Baptist pastor to being the atheist secular humanist hombre that you know now.

I had to overhaul my friends, my contacts, and needed a safety net to fall back to after my friends cut me off. HAPI made the 90-degree turn and transition easier for me. HAPI from the very onset projected a sense of community – I never had to feel alone for switching to the other side of the fence. At HAPI, we’re like an interwoven tapestry.

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Back in the day when I was still religious, everything was dull. Hues were set to only two options: you’re either black or white. Religion is in business for oversimplifying things into that two-color scheme – dead boring! When I switched to the secular humanism side, with HAPI, I was able to see more colors. Now I get to join LGBTQIA parades as a straight guy without hesitation. Now I can comfortably sit with people I used to call “sinners”. HAPI introduced me to different folks of different strokes. To better describe my point just think of a Jackson Pollock painting; an explosion of curved lines, unusual shapes, and colors!

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Being a part of HAPI, for me, is not just a social badge. (Of course, HAPI is not just Mickey Mouse Club of some sort.) When I decided to join HAPI, I deliberately subjected myself to a long-term commitment. There’s no turning back!

I not only found friends in HAPI, I also found a family. One that shares the same vision and ideals. That means I’m willing to give my time and energy to the causes HAPI advocate for. It takes commitment to stay with HAPI as an officer since 2015.

I’ve been with HAPI through thick and thin. Commitment invokes a strong feeling of intent and focus and it is always accompanied by a clear purpose and determined plan of action. There is a quote that greatly reflects this attitude and it goes like this – “You may see me struggle but you will never see me quit.”

— AJ Ballares
HAPI Board of Trustees Member / Former Executive Director