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.

Don't Label Me Dude

One of the things I like about Humanism is that it encourages us to respect every person we meet as the individuals they are. Which to me means don't assume you know who a person is just because of some assumed affiliation you think they hold.  When you do that you generalize. And besides, we all know what happens when we make assumptions. We not only make an ass out of ourselves, we are usually wrong.

I bring this up because on Google+ I was just accused by a guy I don't know of equating Humanism with Atheism. For those of you who know me and have read my book, seen my videos or heard me talk, you know that is something I have NEVER done. In fact, I've written pretty extensively on the fact they aren't the same thing.  He just assumed that because I am a vocal Humanist that I equate Humanism with Atheism. As it turns out he has just published a book on Humanism, considers himself a Humanist, and feels like I do about the atheism issue. I am not going to link to his website though because the guy made such an annoying first impression on me by assuming I think things I clearly don't.

The point is that you should never assume to know what someone else thinks. And, if you claim to be a Humanist, you should probably:

A) Try applying your Humanist values of respecting the fact that people are in fact individuals to the people you actually meet. In other words, don't label them dude.

B) Get your facts straight. This guy didn't bother to find out if what he thought was even true. Which means he didn't bother to challenge his own assumptions which led him to make an ass out of himself when it turned out his rather angry and snarky comments to me were unfounded.

C) Don't assume you disagree with someone you've never met. Find out if you do first. And most of all, allow people to surprise you with just how wonderful they really are. 

Beauty of a Post

Time Lapse Photo by Lincoln Harrison

I wanted to share a post from The Humble Humanist - It's called Beauty Day Eh 

It is about beauty, happiness and Humanism. Specifically how beauty can be transforming. He says,

"The experience of Beauty can provoke powerful responses.  When we encounter something truly Beautiful the intellectual and emotional effect can be life altering.  A painting, sunrise or 5 star meal might open our imaginations to possibilities we've never considered...a career path, a spiritual awakening, or the creation of something unique and Beautiful." 

He concludes by saying,

"Our best interests are served by creating, propagating and promoting Beauty throughout the world.  Beauty is a vehicle for creating Happiness and affirming what is best in human nature...and that affirmation is a bedrock principle of Humanism."

And I think that is a beautiful thing to say.

A Little Bit Crazy

My son is really into the History channel. The other day he watched a special on the Great Wall of China. I, of course, watched it with him. Here’s what I learned. Emperor Chin, who built the wall, was basically bat sh*t crazy. We’re talking completely divorced from reality. He fired most of his advisors and replaced them with soothsayers.  He had the wall built because he had a dream that told him to. And yes, he drained the treasury and caused a lot of people to die in his pursuit of his dream. No wonder the Chinese thought the wall symbolized only tyranny and death.

It was westerners who first looked at the wall and thought, wow - that’s an amazingly great wall! And, having been at the wall (both the reconstructed and unreconstructed areas) I have to say, it’s pretty amazing. Because the Chinese are pretty smart folks and they do like the money tourism brings in, they’ve decided to embrace the “Great Wall” mythology. But, to them, it still probably represents tyranny, death and what happens when you have a crazy dictator.

But, that’s not my point today. My point is that sometimes, you need to be a little bit crazy to do amazing things. Because great things often require the person doing them to not understand that things just can't be done or don't need to be done or won't be effective even if you do them, as was the case with the Great Wall.

Of course, if you do decide to be a little bit crazy to follow your dreams, try not to be a tyrannical dictator about it. People don’t like that.

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!