Choices

Humanism isn't complicated. It's about choices in the moments of our lives: Choices for social responsibility, peace and the betterment of all life on the planet. 

We are emerging from a period of social self-indulgence in the U.S.. In the post-traumatic haze of 911, Americans mortgaged their lives for hedonism. Fanatic religiosity merged with fanatic materialism. Some financial manipulators walked away with huge fortunes at the expense of a bankrupted middle class. Some poor people, deceived into unrealistic dreams of stepping up by mortgage brokers, were left homeless and worse off than before. All of this entailed millions of choices, none of which were based in humanist ideals.

I am not implying that humanist choices are a guarantee against failure and setbacks. To the contrary, failure and setbacks form the foundation of all learning in this Universe. However, failing at being rich and self-indulgent at the expense of yourself and the society is quite different from failing to find your own internal peace and joy in an effort to improve the external world. 

"I'll do good and also make a fortune for myself in the process." is the Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates model of human decency. Does any sane person believe this model will work for every person on the planet? Does any sane person believe that this model will bring universal human justice to the planet? Yes, the inventions of these gifted people  may eventually improve the quality of life for an expanding privileged population who have access to their inventions. But what of the thousands of Chinese workers in computer plants who are working in poisonous conditions to supply the tools of access to these inventions? And what of the millions of unemployed who would be made redundant if their toxic jobs are taken over by robotic mechanization? 

The congregate of individual choices composes the choices of a society. Even dictatorships are a choice made by a population which stops fighting oppression. The killing of uncounted civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect world commerce is the ongoing congregate choice of Americans. 

My bias is simple. I believe that I can practice humanist choices moment to moment. I believe that there will be no universal justice or sustainable world peace until all human beings practice making humanist choices in every moment. Many will scoff at this as they have throughout human evolution. As long as one person scoffs at his/her acceptance of responsibility for peace and justice, there will be no universal peace or justice.