Happiness Through Humanism: being good

Showing posts with label being good. Show all posts

Why Humanism? A Compassionate and Reality-Based Approach to Living Well

In a world filled with complexity, challenges, and uncertainties, the quest for meaning and fulfillment is a universal pursuit. Amidst the myriad philosophies and ideologies that shape human thought, one perspective stands out for its profound relevance and timeless wisdom: Humanism.

At its core, Humanism is not just a philosophy; it is a way of life—an applied study of what it means to be a good human being and to live well. Rooted in the distilled knowledge of humanity, Humanism offers a compelling framework for navigating the complexities of existence with clarity, compassion, and purpose.

Embracing Reality-Based Principles

Central to Humanism is the recognition and acceptance of reality as it is—an acknowledgment that our perceptions, beliefs, and actions must be grounded in objective truths. In a world often fraught with misinformation and ideological divides, the commitment to reality-based principles serves as a guiding light, illuminating pathways to understanding, growth, and progress.

By embracing reality-based thinking, Humanism empowers individuals to confront challenges with courage and resilience, fostering a deeper appreciation for the complexities of the human experience. Rather than succumbing to wishful thinking or denial, Humanism encourages us to confront difficult truths head-on, catalyzing personal and collective transformation.

Cultivating Compassion-Based Ethics

Beyond its commitment to reality-based principles, Humanism places a profound emphasis on compassion—a recognition of our interconnectedness and shared humanity. In a world characterized by diversity and difference, compassion serves as a unifying force, bridging divides and fostering empathy, understanding, and solidarity.

Through compassion-based ethics, Humanism challenges us to extend kindness and empathy to all beings, nurturing relationships built on mutual respect and dignity. By prioritizing the well-being of others alongside our own, Humanism invites us to cultivate a more inclusive and equitable world—one defined by empathy, justice, and compassion.

The Power of Integration

What sets Humanism apart is its unique ability to integrate reality-based thinking with compassion-based ethics, forging a holistic approach to navigating life's complexities. By synthesizing these foundational principles, Humanism offers a powerful strategy for addressing difficulties, confronting adversity, and fostering genuine human flourishing.

In a world characterized by rapid change and uncertainty, the wisdom of Humanism provides a beacon of hope—a reminder that by embracing reality and compassion, we can navigate life's challenges with grace, integrity, and resilience.

Conclusion

In the journey of life, the pursuit of meaning and fulfillment remains paramount. As we navigate the complexities of existence, Humanism offers a guiding philosophy—one rooted in reality, infused with compassion, and committed to the pursuit of human flourishing.

By embracing the principles of Humanism, we affirm our shared humanity, cultivate empathy and understanding, and chart a course towards a more just, compassionate, and inclusive world.

So why Humanism? Because in its essence, Humanism represents the distilled wisdom of humanity—a timeless invitation to live authentically, love deeply, and make a positive impact on the world around us.

Learn More:

If you want to learn more - I have free and paid courses and resources at my website - Humanist Learning Systems:

Video Courses: https://humanistlearning.com/category/lifeskills/philosophy/

Why good intentions lead to bad outcomes

Having good intentions is not enough. Lots of bad things happen because people with good intentions - end up causing harm. How can we ensure that our good intentions will lead to good outcomes?

Most people are good - or think of themselves as good. We are all the heroes of our own stories. If we did something, it must be good.

The reality is: even well people with good intentions sometimes do harm. Wanting to be good - is only half of being good. The second part is actually doing good things.

What is good? Helping people and reducing suffering.

To actually do good - you must do good things. To do good things you must know what things you do are good and which are bad or not good.

This requires thinking and personal responsibility. If someone tells you - you hurt them - it doesn't matter what your intention was, it matters that - despite your good intentions - someone was harmed.

Good people learn from their mistakes and work to fix them.

Bad Information Leads to Bad Outcomes

My father was a computer programmer. He used to tell me - garbage in, garbage out. If you don't know what is true, or if what you think is true - is actually a lie - you can be manipulated into doing bad things for good reasons. You may think you are helping, but you are hurting, because - you believe a lie.

And again - it doesn't matter what your intention is - it matters whether you helped people or harmed them.

Propagandists use our good intentions to cause people to do bad things. We must all be vigilant against such manipulations, which is why Humanists are so intent on teaching people critical thinking skills. Critical thinking helps people avoid common thinking mistakes and helps us learn what is true and what is false so that - we don't accidentally cause harm through our ignorance.

Compassion Matters:

We humans take mental short cuts all the time. And part of those short cuts is that - if people disagree with us - instead of listening to them tell us why we are wrong - we assume we are right and they are wrong and they not only have nothing to teach us but that they are now our enemies for disagreeing with us.

When written out like this - it's easy to see why this is a mistake. It's much harder to recognize when you are in the moment.

How do I get past this? With compassion. Anytime anyone disagrees with me - I have compassion for myself so that I don't allow my instinctual emotions to get away from me. I extend my compassion to the other person so that I can see that maybe they are giving me constructive criticism to help me. This helps me accept the information I don't like. And finally - I have compassion for the people who are impacted by my behavior. This helps me focus on my ultimate goal - doing good - not just wanting to do good.

To recap - the way to make sure your good intentions lead to good outcomes is:

Desire to do good
Understanding the truth so you can choose good outcomes
Exercising compassion with yourself and others - so you can correct your behavior if it turns out you made a mistake.

Learn more:

Pretty much every course I teach on Humanist Learning Systems - teaches this methodology. Whether this is for your personal development or professional development. It's worth learning and practicing these skills. Because - wanting to do good is not enough. You have to actually do good things to be good.

https://humanistlearning.com/jennifer-hancock/

Critical Thinking and Humanist Values

You cannot think well unless you have a goal in mind. Having a goal requires you to have values.

The reason we try to think critically is so that we can make good decisions that will benefit us and hopefully others. I am a Humanist, so the framework in which I make my decisions is, good for me, good for my family, good for my society and good for the world in which I live. And yes, I do consider all of that when I make my decisions.

My point is that in order to make good decisions, we have to have some set of values that allows us to deem certain decisions good and others bad. Those are value judgements that require a value system.

Most of us make decisions by weighing the pros and cons. And again, that’s about what is good and what is bad and those are value judgements and we have to have a set of values that help us make those value judgements.

Moral judgement isn’t enough though. We also have to know what is true. Here’s why. Moral judgements don’t occur in a vacuum. They are determined by what you think is true and false about the situation you are judging. If you mistakenly believe something is true that isn’t, your moral judgement will be flawed as well.

Humanism values critical thinking precisely because it helps us to not only organize and prioritize our values realistically, but also because it encourages us and reminds to base our decisions on what is true and to change our minds if we find out we are mistaken. Our goal isn’t to be right or to be seen as right, but to do good.

And this brings us back to the question of what is good. Humanism bases our values on compassion. But it isn’t enough to have a value system, you also need to prioritize certain values above others so that when you have a tough decision to make you know what you consider to be ultimately good. In other words, what is your ultimate goal? For me, as a Humanist, my ultimate goal or good is to live my life fully, love other people and leave the world a better place. This is what I aspire to.

Knowing what my ultimate good is helps me make difficult decisions precisely because when all other things are equal – I can use these goals as a way to decide which path to take and feel pretty good about it.

To learn more about how a Humanist combines compassion based ethics, critical thinking and personal responsibility into a holistic approach to life, consider taking Living Made Simpler at Humanist Learning Systems.

Happiness in the moment

While our moment-to-moment happiness depends on how we are treated by others, our larger sense of purpose in life is our own doing.

There was a recent study about every day morality – see report on it at: http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2014/09/some-good-news-about-everyday-moral-life/

What they found is that people receive and commit more moral acts than immoral acts, but we are twice as likely to hear about immoral acts. Something we all know but it’s nice to have it validated by actual data.

The other big finding is that if you are a recipient of a moral act, you are more likely to act morally yourself within the next hour. This is something the scientists call “moral contagion.” In other words, being kind encourages more kindness in the world.

What has this got to do with happiness? Well, it turns out that being treated morally increases our happiness. No surprise there. But when you combine this with acting morally encouraging more moral behavior, you start to see the scientific underpinnings of the golden rule. You behave well because it encourages other people to behave well and when other people behave well towards you, it makes you feel happy.

What is really interesting is people who behave morally experience a big increase in their sense of purpose in life. Having a larger sense of purpose in your life not only feels good, it reduces stress improves your health and increases your lifespan. (see: http://magazine.ucla.edu/exclusives/sense-of-purpose-makes-you-happy-and-healthy/)

Apparently science backs up the Humanist approach to life. Be a good person, help other people be good too.

For more read my book: The Humanist Approach to Happiness: http://happiness.jen-hancock.com/

10 Qualities of Cultured People

What a letter from Anton Chekov to his brother can teach us about what it means to be a good human being.

There is a great article over at Brain Pickings on the qualities of cultured people. It was written by Anton Chekov – link here: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/29/anton-chekhov-8-qualities-of-cultured-people/

As a Humanist, I love this list and wanted to translate it into a list of 10 basic rules for Humans and therefor Humanists.

Respect everyone you meet, regardless of station.
Have sympathy for everyone you meet, including those who annoy you.
Do not cause harm to others.
Be honest, it makes life easier
Don’t wallow in self-pity
Don’t brag
Cultivate your talents and put them to good use
Try to keep things clean and try to make your life beautiful
Ennoble your sexual instincts, don’t treat lovers as objects, they are real humans just like you.
Always strive to improve yourself.