Humanist Thought of the Week

Choice and Change

You have a choice.  

You can keep doing what you are doing. 

Or you can change.

That’s the wonderful thing about free will.

You have a choice.

The problem most people have is not that they don’t want to change, but that they don’t know how.

And again, here you have a choice.

You can choose to learn how to create the change you want, or you can remain the same and complain about all that is wrong with the world.

Remaining ignorant of the possibilities is itself a choice.

Choose wisely.

Ethical Sex is Consensual Sex

Lots of people are hoping to get lucky tomorrow night. 

I wish them well. 

Just remember, ethical sex is consensual sex.

In order for it to be consensual – your partner has to say – Yes. 

If they don’t say anything, that’s not consent.

If you coerce them into saying yes, that’s not consent either. 

Bargaining is one thing, but using your power over others to force them to have sex with is not consensual even if they technically “consent” because your coercion robbed them of choice.

You also need to make full disclosure about your heatlh status and expectations for sex. Full disclosure!

If you don’t fully disclose the terms, you rob your partner of consent.

So – to be ethical – you need full disclosure & no coercion.

Once you have that – I don’t care what you do – just go and have fun.

Unreliable Prophesy

I don’t put much stock in prophesy.

I’m not saying people don’t have the gift of sight.

I’m just saying – it doesn’t seem all that reliable.

During high school, I once dreamt that it was going to rain during PE.

And guess what!  That was the only period it rained it. 

I must be psychic!

My problem is that was the only prophetic dream I’ve ever had.

I’ve had one prophetic dream that wasn’t particularly helpful out of - hundreds of thousands of dreams. 

My track record is so lousy as to be totally unreliable.

As I want to solve my problems, I don’t waste my time on things that have been proven to be totally unreliable and basically useless.  

Even if on occasion, prophesies do come true. 

Cats and Humans

I like when my cat reaches out to touch my hand when it is getting ready to nap. 

It’s like – it needs that skin on skin contact to feel secure enough to sleep.

Whenever she does this – I think of Winnie the Pooh. 

There is a story where Piglet reaching out for Pooh’s hand – to be sure of him.

My son does this when he gets scared. 

He reaches out – to me or my husband, to be sure of us.

This is all about security and safety. 

If someone is reaching out to you, reach back  and make that connection.

Optimistic Thinking

It’s like positive thinking – but with a seed of doubt.

That doubt is critical. 

It means, while you are hoping for the best, you can’t be sure you will succeed. 

To give yourself the best chance – you have to work at it.

I’m not positive I will overcome my obstacles. I’m optimistic that I will. 

There is a big difference. Being optimistic is to be reality based. The other is a fantasy.