Resisting Injustice by Centering Humanism: Reason and Compassion in Action

When we witness injustice, the impulse to act can be overwhelming. The world often demands quick responses to pressing problems, but as Humanists, we must approach resistance thoughtfully and deliberately. Our commitment to reason, compassion, and action is what sets us apart—and ensures that our efforts create meaningful, lasting change.

But here’s the catch: none of these principles work in isolation.

• Reason without compassion leads to cold, calculated solutions that harm people instead of helping them.
• Compassion without reason can result in well-meaning but misguided efforts that miss the mark or even exacerbate the problem.
• Action without either reason or compassion causes harm, chaos, and destruction.

To truly resist injustice, we must combine all three: compassion to understand what needs changing, reason to figure out how to change it, and action to make it happen.

Compassion: Identifying the Problem

Compassion is our moral compass, guiding us toward the injustices that demand our attention. It connects us to others, allowing us to see their suffering and recognize the need for change. Without compassion, we risk becoming detached from the human impact of our decisions.

When we encounter workplace inequities, systemic oppression, or societal wrongs, compassion asks: Who is hurting? What are their needs? How can we help? These questions keep us focused on the people at the heart of the issue.

Reason: Designing the Solution

Reason steps in to analyze the problem and develop practical, effective solutions. It asks: What is the best way to solve this? What unintended consequences might arise? How can we create sustainable change?

For example, when tackling workplace discrimination, reason might suggest revising policies, training leaders, or collecting data to address the root causes. In political resistance, it might involve understanding laws, building coalitions, and advocating for evidence-based policies.

Reason ensures that our actions are guided by clarity and strategy, not impulse.

Action: Implementing the Change

Compassion and reason are meaningless without action. To resist injustice, we must be willing to move beyond planning and take real steps to create change. This might mean speaking out, organizing efforts, or supporting those directly impacted by injustice.

Action bridges the gap between intention and impact. It’s the difference between hoping for a better world and building one.

The Humanist Approach to Resistance

This framework—compassion, reason, and action—applies to every kind of problem solving, whether in the workplace or the wider world. Humanists resist injustice by putting these principles into practice. We do not act out of anger or fear but out of a commitment to making the world a better, fairer place for all.

So, as we face challenges in our workplaces, communities, and political systems, let’s remember the Humanist approach:

1. Start with compassion—understand the harm and the humanity behind it.
2. Use reason—find thoughtful, effective ways to address the harm.
3. Take action—because change doesn’t happen without it.

When we combine these principles, we become a powerful force for good, ensuring that our resistance to injustice is as effective as it is ethical.

What are the key virtues of Humanism

What are the key human virtues that humanism encourages or stands for?

Here is my quick list:

• Reason - reality based decision making, and critical thinking to solve problems more effectively. .

• Compassion - ethical basis for our morality.

• Action- we have the ability and responsibility to make the world a better place for ourselves and others.

Pretty simple really. If you want to learn more, consider getting my Handy Humanism Handbook

Change the world or just how you approach it

I was reading John Rosemond's column today (http://www.rosemond.com/johns-columns/correct-parental-thinking/) and I was struck immediately that he talked about Humanism. Granted, he did so in a negative way.  He was talking about a quote from Norman Vincent Peale, "Change your thinking, and you change your world." And he rightly pointed out that, well, that's impossible. It's magical thinking. And then, he accused Humanists of engaging in just such magic thinking by saying, " A change of thinking doesn’t change THE world, and I’m reasonably certain that he (Peale) wasn’t a humanist, so he really didn’t believe in the idea that each of us constructs our own, equally valid, reality. "

As a Humanist, I just want to say that I don't think any Humanist thinks we construct our own equally valid reality.  We don't.  Reality is external to us. How we perceive reality though, is something we do seem to control. And in this matter, I think I agree with Rosemond when he rewrites the Peale quote to say, "If you change your thinking, your entire worldview changes.”

And yes, a change in worldview can be an incredibly powerful thing. For instance if you believe you can choose your actions, you will actively choose your actions. If you don't, you won't.  For a Humanist this is central because, while we know we can't magically wish our way out of problems, we do believe we can do something constructive to solve our problems by making better decisions through rational thinking and by taking constructive action.

Here is the Humanist perspective on this matter. If you want to change your reality, just thinking differently isn't enough. You have to actually act differently too if you expect to create different outcomes for yourself.

Putting Compassion Into Action in Africa

Somali Grandmother and child
recovering at an aid camp in Ethiopia

This past week, USAID asked Foundation Beyond Belief  if it could help raise awareness within the non-theist community about the ongoing drought and famine that is occurring within the Horn of Africa. According to USAID this is the most severe drought in 60 yrs and the UN has made a formal declaration of famine for Southern Somalia, the only such declaration made in the past 20 years.  In other words, what’s going on there is bad. Really really bad.

Why should you care? Well, if you read my blog it is either because you are a Humanist or Humanistically inclined. And that means that if you think of yourself as a compassionate and ethical person. And if you are, then you should understand that this is a situation that calls out for us to be compassionate.  It is estimated that already over 10,000 people have died with another 11 million at risk of death by starvation. Many have fled to neighboring countries to find food.

I know what you are thinking. Sure I care, but what can I do?  Well, you can put your compassion into action, as that is the hallmark of what it means to be a Humanist. We believe that we not only can do something to make a difference but that we have a moral responsibility to do so.  In this case, you can donate some money to help with the relief effort.

USAID, as it is a government agency, does not accept donations directly from the public as they are funded by our tax dollars. Instead, donate to Foundation Beyond Belief to their crisis response page: http://foundationbeyondbelief.org/crisis   They have chosen the International Rescue Committee, which is working in Somoalia

If you would like to make a direct donation you can choose from one of the charities doing relief work in the Horn of Africa.  Here is a list: http://www.interaction.org/crisis-list/interaction-members-respond-drought-crisis-horn-africa

Put your compassion into action and make a donation to Foundation Beyond Belief's Humanist Crisis Response. Whatever you can afford. You may just save a life and isn’t that worth it? And, double plus good, you will have shown USAID that the non-theist community is just as generous at responding to people in need as our religious counterparts are.  So make your donation today!

Righteous Anger

Look – we all get mad. The question is what are you going to do about it? Anger directed towards people is rarely productive. In fact, seeking revenge out of anger is decidedly counterproductive.

On the other hand, righteous anger about injustice can be channeled into really productive actions to alleviate the injustice. And there lies a critical difference. Anger towards people often results in bad emotions and bad outcomes. Anger towards a bad situation can spur people to action. And if channeled properly, towards good actions that alleviate the problem.

What you want to avoid is getting angry at the people causing the injustice. Because getting angry at people rarely helps you solve your problems.

So, to recap: if you are angry, focus on solving the problem and try not to get too angry at the people causing the problem.