Popularity

Popularity in an overpopulated world is hardly a challenge. Surrounded by 7 billion human beings, soon to be 15 billion, it would be hard to avoid some attention when consistently voicing ideas or music or rants via easily accessed electronic media. Popularity, however, is not a reliable hallmark of quality of human thought or expression.

In fact, popularity has led human beings down many dark and deadly paths. The last century's history offers extreme examples. The increasing accessibility to and manipulation of popular media only increases the likelihood that popularity may once again bring human beings to disaster. 

In a celebrity culture of Web, television and movies, popularity becomes currency. In a materialistic culture, currency becomes power. In a competitive culture, the drive to be noticed supersedes good taste, progressive thought or ethics. This bodes badly for civil society.

Humanism is not popular. Hard work on personal development is certainly not popular in a society plagued with obesity, alcoholism and narcissism. Humanist practice is hard work. It requires daily adjustments, daily commitments and daily critical reflection. Humanist practice is about personal human interactions, not broadcasts or performances. 

This written aspect of my own humanist practice is just simply that. This is not an attempt to be on Youtube with a million hits. This is one real humanist's attempt to share one real humanist's thoughts simply for the purpose of sharing them. It is not self-promotion. I have no need for a new career or income stream. If this record of one humanist practice helps one person, it will have exceeded my expectations, since I have none.