The Humanist Manifesto

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With my apology for its length, over which I have no control, below is the official manifesto of the American Humanist Society. You can immediately see that Humanism owes a lot to Epicurus, who, by some, is regarded as the founder of the humanistic movement.

Humanism and its Aspirations

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity. The lifestance of Humanism is guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience, encourages us to live life well and fully. It evolved through the ages and continues to develop through the efforts of thoughtful people who recognize that values and ideals, however carefully wrought, are subject to change as our knowledge and understandings advance. This is a consensus of what we believe:

– Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change. Humanists recognize nature as self-existing. We accept our life as all and enough, distinguishing things as they are from things as we might wish or imagine them to be. We welcome the challenges of the future, and are drawn to and undaunted by the yet to be known.

– Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. Humanists ground values in human welfare shaped by human circumstances, interests, and concerns and extended to the global ecosystem and beyond. We are committed to treating each person as having inherent worth and dignity, and to making informed choices in a context of freedom consonant with responsibility.

– Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. We aim for our fullest possible development and animate our lives with a deep sense of purpose, finding wonder and awe in the joys and beauties of human existence, its challenges and tragedies, and even in the inevitability and finality of death. Humanists rely on the rich heritage of human culture and the lifestance of Humanism to provide comfort in times of want and encouragement in times of plenty.

– Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. Humanists long for and strive toward a world of mutual care and concern, free of cruelty and its consequences, where differences are resolved cooperatively without resorting to violence. The joining of individuality with interdependence enriches our lives, encourages us to enrich the lives of others, and inspires hope of attaining peace, justice, and opportunity for all.

– Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness. Progressive cultures have worked to free humanity from the brutalities of mere survival and to reduce suffering, improve society, and develop global community. We seek to minimize the inequities of circumstance and ability, and we support a just distribution of nature’s resources and the fruits of human effort so that as many as possible can enjoy a good life.

Humanists are concerned for the well being of all, are committed to diversity, and respect those of differing yet humane views. We work to uphold the equal enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties in an open, secular society and maintain it is a civic duty to participate in the democratic process and a planetary duty to protect nature’s integrity, diversity, and beauty in a secure, sustainable manner.

Thus engaged in the flow of life, we aspire to this vision with the informed conviction that humanity has the ability to progress toward its highest ideals. The responsibility for our lives and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone. (Humanist Manifesto, 2003 American Humanist Association.

Self-esteem and narcissism

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When a child does something amazing, you want to tell her so. You might tell her that she’s very smart. You might tell her that she’s very special. Or you might say that she must have worked really hard.

On the surface, they all sound like the same compliments. But according to Brad Bushman, a communications and psychology professor at Ohio State University, the first two increase the child’s chances of becoming a narcissist. Only the last one raises the child’s self-esteem and keeps her ego in check, also reducing levels of anxiety and possible depression.

Self-esteem and narcissism are two very different things. The difference has to do with how you value yourself compared to other people. “Self-esteem basically means you’re a person of worth equal with other people,” Bushman says. “Narcissism means you think you’re better than other people. You overestimate your abilities, take too many risks, mess up relationships, and expect special treatment at all times. Narcissists hurt other people, society around them, and themselves as well. They tend to have parents who consistently overvalue their accomplishments. Their behaviour can be aggressive and they lack empathy for others. 

Researchers agree that voicing the connection you feel to your children really helps. “If you want to look for a substitute for ‘You’re special,’ just say ‘I love you.’ It’s what you mean, and it’s a much better message. (Precis of an article on the NPR website, 2015).

For whatever reason one gets the impression thst some parents seem overly defensive and protective of their children. The age-old adage,”children should be seen and not heard” is just that – age-old. Unexpectedly large numbers of parents have “very special” children, to whom they seem to defer. Some of those children effectively rule the household. Heaven help the grandparent who interferes or who comments adversely on behaviour or manners! Of course, there are are very many exceptions, but I personally don’t remember anything similar years back. Maybe it reflects the perceived challenges of modern life, and an upspoken dislike of it, that provokes this child-centeredness. It is good neither for the child or for the parents. It’s certainly pretty dismal for the grandparents!

Newspapers – dying a death

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Stephan Salisbury of The Philadelphia Inquirer asks, a propos of newspapers: “What happens to a community when community no longer matters and when information is simply an opportunity for niche marketing and branding in virtual space? Who covers the mayor? City council? Executive agencies? Courts? It is this unraveling of our civic fabric that is the most grievous result of the decline of our newspapers. And it is the ordinary people struggling in the city who have lost the most, knowing less and less about where they are – even as the amount of information bombarding them grows daily at an astounding rate.” (The Observer. © Tim Adams/Guardian News & Media Ltd. Edited)

We now have on-line web pages we are comfortable with and tend to skim them for top news stories, but often without context or background. Society is atomised. Epicurus would have supported the idea of the newspaper, even if its sole job was holding those who govern us to account. Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.”

Friendship and Epicureanism

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To Epicurus, one of the most important ingredients of a full and happy life was friendship. But he had it easy compared with us. In ancient Greece (ancient anywhere) the population was small, sparse and local. It stayed put, more or less. One grew up with a small number of people and knew them well, like them or not. Friendships could be maintained throughout one’s life. One knew what one was getting in a friend. You probably drank with him, harvested with him and went to war with him. Since then a lot of people have become like ships in the night, there today and gone to tomorrow. One just gets to know someone and they promptly move to Singapore or New York.

What some people call friends are in reality acquaintances. A blizzard of e-mails, the phone calls, the extra work put upon us by the companies who formerly served us, all distract us constantly. You can be in touch with people on the web 24/7, but to be a real friend takes commitment, work, attention – and time.

It is now more than ever important for us to choose carefully people with whom we are psychically comfortable. Amid all the modern services offered by entrepreneurs I’m surprised no one has thought of offering a Friendship Organiser. (“You haven’t had a drink with Joe for three weeks. Shall I draft a text message? How are you placed for Wednesday?) This latter idea was old hat at one time. The Friendship Organiser was called a “Secretary”,a position now defunct.

What is the point?

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What is the point of being lucky in life, of being in the right place at the right time, or of inheriting a fortune if you can’t enjoy the money, share it, and have a good time with it?

A notable skinflint was Paul Getty, the oil magnate, who, long before cellphones appeared had a public, coin-operated payphone installed in his house for visitors, to prevent them charging calls to his telephone account (this is true because some friends used it).  With his income he could have bought two phone companies outright.

These people amass huge fortunes, useless to them when they die. The kids frequently blow it all on slow horses and fast women, bless them. It’s about the only bit of so-called “trickle down economics” that actually works. Trouble is, the people who could most benefit from the trickle seldom get it.

I have known comfortably off people who who nickeled and dimed everything, made scrupulous monthly accounts, bickering with their wives over a dollar or two. Forget it!  We should be have fun, enjoy ourselves, thirst for life, experiencing as much as possible.  Above all, laugh – it’s better for you than any pharmaceutical.  As Epicurus said, live while you are alive!