During the holiday season, the familiar refrain of "peace on earth, goodwill towards all" echoes in songs, stories, and celebrations around the world. While its origins lie in religious traditions, its message transcends belief systems and offers a profound organizing principle for living an ethical, human-centered life. For Humanists, this ideal isn’t just a seasonal sentiment but a year-round life stance: to strive for peace through actions grounded in reason, empathy, and a commitment to the common good.
Peace: More Than the Absence of Conflict
When we speak of peace, we often think of it as the absence of war or violence. But peace is much more than that—it is the presence of conditions that allow individuals and communities to thrive. For Humanists, achieving peace means working towards justice, fairness, and equity. It means creating systems that ensure no one is left behind and dismantling structures that perpetuate harm.
Peace starts with our relationships—how we treat others in our families, workplaces, and communities. Do we seek to understand and resolve disagreements through dialogue? Are we willing to confront our biases and approach conflicts with compassion rather than aggression? Building peace requires courage—the courage to act as mediators, to de-escalate tensions, and to practice nonviolence as a way of life.
As the late Humanist philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "War does not determine who is right—only who is left." The Humanist commitment to peace lies not in passive ideals but in active efforts to create a world where human dignity is upheld, and harm is minimized wherever possible.
Goodwill: Empathy in Action
Goodwill represents a positive and intentional concern for the well-being of others. It is the willingness to act with kindness, generosity, and fairness, even when there is no personal gain. From a Humanist perspective, goodwill is not a supernatural mandate but a natural outcome of understanding our shared humanity. When we recognize that all people experience joy, suffering, hopes, and fears, it becomes clear that kindness is not a weakness but a moral strength.
Goodwill is about cultivating empathy and turning it into action. It asks us to:
Show kindness to strangers and compassion to those who suffer.
Practice fairness in how we treat others, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or background.
Use our privilege to advocate for those whose voices are marginalized or unheard.
This principle extends beyond interpersonal interactions. At a societal level, goodwill means advocating for policies that promote equality, human rights, and environmental stewardship. It means recognizing that goodwill towards all requires addressing systemic injustices, including poverty, discrimination, and climate change—problems that affect us collectively and require collective solutions.
Building an Ethical Life Through Peace and Goodwill
So, how can "peace on earth, goodwill towards all" become a practical guide for an ethical life all year 'round? The answer lies in intentionality. Humanism is about choosing to live ethically because it leads to a better life for ourselves and those around us—not because of external rewards or punishments.
Here are three Humanist practices that embody this principle:
Seek Understanding Before Judgment: Whether on a personal or societal level, peace requires understanding others—their perspectives, their struggles, and their humanity. Replace snap judgments with curiosity. Ask questions. Listen actively.
Act With Compassion, Not Complacency: Goodwill isn’t passive. It requires us to notice suffering and take action to alleviate it, whether through small daily acts of kindness or larger commitments to service and advocacy. It reminds us that, in most cases, others are acting with goodwill, and challenges us to respond with dignity and respect, even when we find their actions frustrating.
Embrace Shared Responsibility: A peaceful and just world cannot be built alone. It requires collective efforts to create systems that promote well-being for all people. As Humanists, we must see ourselves as part of a global community and recognize our shared responsibility to one another and to the planet.
A Hopeful Call to Action
In a world often marked by conflict and division, it can be tempting to dismiss peace and goodwill as idealistic or unattainable. But Humanism calls us to embrace hope as a rational choice. It asks us to believe that a better world is possible because human beings have the capacity to create it.
As we move beyond the holiday season and into the new year, let us carry this message with us: Peace on earth, goodwill towards all is not a distant dream—it is a daily practice. It is a commitment to building bridges instead of walls, to choosing kindness over cruelty, and to working, however imperfectly, toward a world where everyone can flourish.
In striving for peace and practicing goodwill, we not only honor our shared humanity but also lay the foundation for a more just, compassionate, and ethical world—a world where the hope for peace becomes a lived reality, one action at a time.
