Humanist Thought of the Week

A Humanistic Perspective in Business

All businesses are in the business of solving problems. And if they aren’t, they aren’t in business.

Lots of people start businesses to make money. And that’s a fine motive.

But people won’t give you money unless you help them solve a problem.

It’s all about your customer and their needs as humans.

However, it’s also important to keep in mind that your customers aren’t the only humans impacted by your business.

Your employees are too.

Your suppliers are.

The people who provide the raw materials your suppliers use are humans too as are the people who live where the raw materials are sourced. 

A humanistic perspective helps you see the entire chain of humans who are impacted by your business. 

It’s a bit mind blowing to take it all in.

It is also a huge responsibility. 

The question that is asked by all humanists in business is how can I run my business in a way that benefits every human in the chain, including myself? 

 Humanism in business is a perspective worth cultivating.

You Aren't Crazy - Unless You Are

We all, at some point, are going to suffer from a mental health problem.

It might be depression, it might be delusional thinking. We could just be narcissistic.

We need to stop stigmatizing mental health problems and mental illness.

The more rationally and compassionately we deal with these problems the better.

Wouldn’t it be nice if being depressed were considered the same way having a broken leg is?

The stigma against mental illness prevents people from seeking treatment for their mental health problems.

The fact we don’t consider our mental lives as something worthy of health and wellness checks ups says a lot about how far we have to go to destigmatize mental health.

The good news is that most mental health problems can be treated.

So don’t worry. You probably aren’t as crazy as you are worrying that you are. 

And if it turns out you are, well, better to know and get help. 

Being Optimal

Being the person you know you should be

There are times I hate being a big bag of chemicals.

If I don’t eat right or don’t get enough sleep, I don’t function optimally.

And if I don’t function optimally, I’m not the wonderful loving, caring person I want to be.

Sometimes I just. can’t.

And yet, I still try.

Recognizing that I’m not at my best helps me warn those I love, so that they don’t take my crankiness personally.

It’s not them; it’s me, not being optimal.

I don’t use this as an excuse.  It’s more an apology and a reminder to myself to do and be better. 

The onus is on me to do what I need to do to help myself regain optimal functioning whether that be sleep or food or quiet alone time.

 Letting other people know what I need and what my limitations are in the moment, helps them to help me be the that good loving wonderful caring person I am, most of the time. 

Removing Fear

I sometimes think life is one big lesson in learning how to overcome our fears.

We have social fears, physical fears, abstract fears and life threatening fears.

Often, our fear is irrational, meaning we have no good reason to be afraid. 

Every time we confront one of our irrational fears, we are able to experience life more fully and without the self-imposed restrictions our fears place on us.  

There is another reason to confront our irrational fears.

Fear leads to anger and if left unchecked, it can lead to really stupid behavior.

The race relations Americans struggle with – are largely a result of fear.

Way too many white skinned folk are irrationally afraid of black skin. 

This fear of black skin is so out of control and irrational that we are able to rationalize the killing of unarmed black skinned people as a form of self-defense. 

As a result, black folk are rightly afraid of being killed by irrationally fearful white folks. 

I for one am sick and tired of irrationally fearful white folks killing black skinned people as a way to “protect” themselves from their irrational fears. 

If Humanism means anything, it means remembering that we are all humans.

There is no “other” to be afraid of. There is just us.

If you are a white person afraid of black skin the first step to removing that fear is to acknowledge that yes, you do have some fear and that your fear is irrational!

Challenge your fears, challenge your assumptions and for goodness sake stop being afraid of your black skinned brothers and sisters.

Consider Humanism

I consider Humanism a lot. 

It’s my life philosophy. 

Whenever I have a decision to make, I think, what is the right thing to do? What is the moral thing to do? 

What is going to give me the best chance of achieving the right and moral thing and help me be successful all at the same time?

What I consider to be good and moral is informed by my Humanism.

I am willing to do the hard work of thinking through my options to prioritize my ethics in my decision making because my Humanism is an active part of my consideration of any problem. 

Humanism, to me, is not an abstract philosophy.

It’s an active practice that reminds me to be the best most ethical person I can be.

And to do and be good, I have to consider my impact on others. 

I have to actively consider my impact on humanity.

That’s what it means to consider Humanism.