Humanist Thought of the Week

Happy Day

Today is World Humanist Day. It’s also the Summer Solstice. So happy Humanist summer solstice everyone. Depending on where you are on earth, this is either the longest or shortest day of the year. As the famous Humanist Albert Einstein once may have said, it’s all relative to where you are. Which brings us back to World Humanist Day Today is the day to celebrate your humanism. So go forth into your social networks and let everyone know you are a Happy Humanist! And if you’re feeling a bit shy, just remember. Albert Einstein was a Humanist too. If you are a Humanist, you’re in good company.

Ignorant, Callous or Cowardly

Last week I spoke of the Humanist belief that we have both the ability to make things better and therefore a responsibility to do so. After all, what sort of person would you be if you could end suffering, but chose not to? Well, you could be ignorant. You can’t be expected to act on an ability you don’t know you have. Or, you could be callous, and just not care that people around you are suffering. However, most people who fail to take responsibility for their actions are just plain cowardly. For whatever reason they have, they are afraid to take responsibility to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. A Humanist refuses to be ignorant, callous or cowardly. We aspire to be courageous, intelligent and caring. You should be too.

Ability and Responsibility

The American Humanist Association defines Humanism as a “progressive philosophy of life, that without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.” My favorite part of that definition is that it affirms our ability and responsibility. For me, those two things go together.  That should be obvious since they share the same root word Regardless, if you have the ability to make things better, I firmly believe you have a moral responsibility to do so. I find it inspiring to remember that I have the ability to choose my actions. And that my actions can make a difference. Without that belief , progress isn’t possible. So the next time you are stuck, just remember, you have the ability to make a change. It’s your responsibility. ------- Read: Humanism and Its Aspirations: http://www.americanhumanist.org/Who_We_Are/About_Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_III

Remembering the Dead

Yesterday was Memorial Day. I feel like I never do it justice enough. The problem is, like pretty much every other human on the planet, I don’t like thinking about death. Don’t get me wrong, I want to remember the lives that were lost in war. But then I get overwhelmed by the sorrow I feel over what seems like a massive and senseless waste of life. And I find I need to do and think of something else. But then I remember that there are people who aren’t so lucky. People who have lost a family member or friend to war, who don’t have the luxury of thinking of something else on Memorial Day. And my heart goes out to them and I cry.

I'm So Afraid

I went to a Humanist parenting workshop over the weekend. One of the sessions I went to involved us creating our own country. Our facilitator, Ms. Beth Ciesielski from Bridges for Education, mentioned that most decisions are made because of fear. We scoffed at this. After all, we are all educated intellectual Humanists, right? Turned out she was right. Our decisions about how to create a country were indeed based on fear. Worried about dictatorship and you design a democracy. Worried about a stupid conspiracy prone electorate and you tend to design a critical thinking skills test for citizenship. Even our decisions about agriculture and industry were based on our fears. The only decision not ultimately based on fear was how to design our flag.  Needless to say, that exercise was not only fun, it has given me a lot to think about. Learn more about Bridges for Education here: http://www.bridges4edu.org/