Turning hate into compassion

Hate is a vice. It is a very nasty emotion that causes people to do horrible things. I met someone recently who considered hate to be a virtue and quoted biblical texts to me to support his claim. Look, I realize that in the moment, it may seem expedient to channel hate to fight evil. But that never works out well. Even if you are fighting a war against an evil dictator and your fight is just, hate will not help you win that fight. Soldiers across the world will tell you that the best fighters are those who keep their emotions out of their fighting and keep their head’s level. Musashi Miyamoto says exactly that in the Book of the Five Rings. And heck, Sgt York didn’t want to kill anyone and still managed capture; almost single handedly 132 German soldiers. Not because he hated them, but because he just wanted the killing to stop.

Now, modern soldiers will tell you that they are trained to disassociate their emotions from their fighting. This is because hot headedness makes you a danger to yourself and to others. Angry, hate filled people are unpredictable and easily manipulated and in the heat of battle are worse then useless. Long story short, there is no situation in which hate helps.

So, what to do if you find yourself getting angry and feeling that most awful of emotions hate. Well, practice turning that hate into compassion. And don’t think that means becoming complacent and not doing what you need to do to protect yourself and others without becoming that which you hate in the process. To learn more, read this excellent article by Thupten Phelgye on moving from Hatred to Compassion.

Even Jerks Need Compassion

Into every life a jerk or two or three will fall. It is unavoidable. And let’s face it – sometimes we are the jerks. People become jerks mostly because they aren’t happy and they want everyone to know it and further, they want to make everyone else as miserable as they are. The point to remember is that jerks aren’t happy. They are miserable. That is why they are acting that way. So instead of getting upset with them, which is what they want, be compassionate with them instead. Feel sorry for them and then ignore them as best as possible. You will feel better immediately and more importantly resisting the urge to be a jerk right back means you will avoid further transmission of the jerk virus to those around you. And for that, humanity thanks you.

Joke about Atheists is a teachable moment

So, back in 2003 a joke started making the rounds about a Florida judge who gave Atheists their own holiday, April Fools Day. This joke is making the rounds again, except that it appears that many people don’t know it is a joke. Even though it is CLEARLY a joke. And any quick check of the news in Florida will verify that it is a joke and not real. Still, most people want to believe it is true for a variety of reasons. Atheists want to believe that they are persecuted and Christians want judges to stick it to those uppity atheists who are trying to eliminate Christianity from the public square. At least judging by the comments posted with the joke.

I was introduced to this joke on a Freethought discussion board and people were genuinely upset by it because they thought it was real. I read it and laughed. It is not as good as the atheist and the guillotine joke, but it is still funny. And the fact that freethinker’s fell for it as real was even funnier. And therein lies the teachable moment. Just because you claim to be a skeptic and a freethinker doesn’t mean you actually are. Whenever you hear something outrageous – even if you think it could be true – it is always a good idea to double check. Just to be sure before you go working your self up into a lather.

Foundation Beyond Belief is up and running

The wait is over, Dale McGowan’s Foundation Beyond Belief is officially operational. This is a foundation where Humanists and atheists can pool their resources to support important humanitarian work as Humanists.

The Foundation Beyond Belief is a new 501c3 charitable and educational foundation created (1) to focus, encourage and demonstrate humanistic generosity, and (2) to support a nationwide education and support program for nontheistic parents.

The first aspect of Foundation Beyond Belief’s work is to raise money for charity. They have 10 issue areas they focus on and every quarter choose 10 beneficiary organizations they members can donate to. At the end of every quarter, the money is passed on to the beneficiary and a new set is chosen. Members of Foundation Beyond Belief are encouraged to make monthly donations to support this effort.

The 10 issue areas Humanists can donate to are:

1. Health


2. Education


3. Poverty


4. Environment


5. Child Welfare


6. Human Rights


7. Animal Protection


8. Peace


9. The "Big Bang" Fund (small charity, big impact)


10. Foundation Beyond Belief

The second aspect of their work is to support humanist parents. To that end then intend to train 10 – 20 individuals to conduct Humanist-parenting seminars across the country.

To learn more about Foundation Beyond Belief visit their website at: http://www.foundationbeyondbelief.org/

And view this handy promotional video