Courage

Overblown sentimentality about the behaviors of those who volunteer to kill in the name of nationalism or corporate-dominated oligarchy has blurred the vision of simple human courage. The most basic form of human courage is to live a responsible nonviolent life in the face of injustice and unfairness. Greater than that is the courage of those who nonviolently stand up to power when everyone else caves into it. The recent nonviolent demonstrations in Syria in the face or military brutality are an example. This courage stands in stark contrast to the compliant warbling mourners for a lunatic dictator in North Korea.

Last evening in Foxboro, Massachusetts, a woman in her 80s stood at a microphone and said her piece against the bullying corruption of casino moguls. She was told it was too late to make her comments. She persisted. And, in a matter of seconds, exposed the casino developers for what they are. The media, who have retreated from being a similar voice of rationality, are enthralled with this courageous elder. 

The "Can't we all just get along?" conformity of the past decade is finally evaporating in the face of real oppression and manipulation by those who hold economic power. Life is not always about agreement or concession. Appeasing bullies only leads to more bullying. This has been the lesson driven home by adolescent suicides in recent years.

Practicing humanism in current U.S. society requires courage. Being a practicing humanist in most other parts of the world requires extraordinary courage. Humanist ideals cannot be practiced without going against the grain of materialistic capitalism. Materialistic capitalism is itself based in a denial of basic human rights and justice. It is based in a self-justifying social Darwinism of aggression and greed. It accepts war as a morally justifiable way to promote prosperity. It undermines law and rational progress for profits.