Where Humanists Put our Trust

One nice thing about being a Humanist is that our faith is never tested. We don’t think the gods will put things right, thus we are not disappointed when things prove difficult to put right. We don’t see any evidence that the “arc of the universe bends toward justice,” therefore we are not surprised when injustice occurs and that arc springs dangerously back. We don’t see evidence to suggest that truth and justice will win in the end. What we see is struggle. Sometimes victory. Sometimes not.

What the evidence does tell us is that good people can make a difference. A large difference. A small difference. Differences. Humanists remain focused, and we affect change.

Whether you have been practicing mindfulness or Buddhist meditation or yoga or yodeling in these troubled times; whether you have been journaling like mad or painting or sculpting or fixating doggedly to your paid work, in tough times we can look down the road to the virtues we seek — justice, compassion, equity.

Aristotle taught us to pinpoint the virtues we seek; to frame events in larger historical contexts; to look at alternatives; and to adapt.

We will take action in the manner that we see as the virtuous way to act. We will consider the greatest good for the greatest number and the greatest good for the oppressed and alone.

Humanists may not agree with each other on many things, but we respect the ideas of others. Humanists are in it for the long haul. For good and ill, the human story is our story. The good. The bad. The struggles. The victories. Even the losses.

We must remain calm because calm is the only way that reason and reasonableness drive out fear and anger.

There is comfort in living with what is. Sometimes it is cold comfort. But we are never betrayed. We know that dogmas, creeds, truisms, and cliches are at best misleading, and at worse, lies. We “must stay strong and carry on” because no gods and no miracles and no grand Hollywood-style endings will occur. There are no gods in the machines. We are in it for the long haul.

I don’t suppose I will go so far as to say that we Humanists put our trust in humanity. Yet we know that only human beings will solve human problems.

Stay strong; remember that people are more important than ideas. Keep in mind that there’s no magical arc of justice that’s bending in the right direction, but there are good people striving for peace and justice. Always has been, long will be.

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