Humanist Thought of the Week

Girlfriends and Romance

I overheard some young men discussing girls the other day. It made me laugh and I had to force myself to not interject my wisdom into their discussion. What they seemed to be missing is that a girlfriend isn’t just someone to hook up with. She is also your friend.  Which is why she’s called a girlfriend. If you want to find yourself a girlfriend, you need to be looking for someone you want to actually be friends with. Sexual attraction isn’t enough because: Sexual relationships simply don’t last very long when you don’t like hanging out with the person you are having sex with. So, if you are in the market, don’t just look for girls you think are cute, look for the ones whose company you enjoy as well. Good luck.

Nervous and Excited

My son started kindergarten yesterday. Both he and I were really nervous and excited. Which shocked me because, really, I’m not the one going to school. There is a lot for me to worry about, however Like: will he get on the right bus and make it home to me ok? Will he behave like a civilized boy or annoy his teacher with the random thoughts that go through his head? Will he have enough to eat? The point is, that for both of us, being nervous and excited is normal. I just keep telling myself; most people (kids and parents alike) make the transition to school just fine. And as I’ve told him, being nervous is not a good enough reason to not go to school.

Beauty

One of my favorite things to do is to sit on my porch and look up at the clouds through the treetops. There is something about the contrast of the light blue sky against the green leaves that I find beautiful. This natural beauty relaxes me. I suppose it’s the same for most people. To be in the moment, experiencing something beautiful is transcendent. Instead of thinking of myself and my needs and my to do list, I am instead contemplating something completely beyond me. Beauty doesn’t need me to exist. It would be there whether I noticed it or not. I feel privileged every time I notice beauty. And that makes making the time to notice it all the more precious and important.

Patience

We are almost at the end of summer. Here in Florida the kids are going back to school in a couple of weeks. And I can’t wait! Yes, I have enjoyed the time I’ve had with my son this summer. But I also miss having time to get things done. At this point, I have a huge list of things to do that are just waiting for him to get back into school so I have time to do them. Which is why today’s topic is patience. Sometimes we just need to accept that we can’t get everything done right now. And by we, I mean me. I’ve got to prioritize my list, pick a couple of things I can and must do now. The rest can wait. The problem is, I’ve never been too good with patience.

Humility

There are two basic definitions of humility. One is to be modest, not proud or arrogant. The other is to be submissive to a superior. Needless to say, we Humanists are all about the first definition and completely and totally reject the second. The idea of considering ourselves subservient to anyone is just offensive. We are all humans. And while we do occasionally need leaders to guide us No one among us deserves or should require the submission of others. If they do, they have an ego problem. And that ego will get in the way of correcting their mistakes because … They are usually too proud or arrogant to admit that they may have made a mistake. Which is why we Humanists admire intellectual humility so much.