Essentials

Typical Boston area triple-decker.

My parents rented the top floor of an old three-family house when I was very small. Five of us lived in the creaky flat. The building was constructed without central heating. An old kerosene stove sat in the living room. The kitchen stove heated the back of the apartment. Our kitchen still had an old wooden ice box, lined with zinc. Our water was heated when needed by a small gas-fired tank on the wall by the kitchen sink. It was lit with a match each time. It had no pilot light. This edifice sat within sight of downtown Boston.

The essentials of what it takes to live life are pretty minimal. We have made the art of living very complicated. Much of this has developed in response to the increasing demands of urban populations on their environments. Septic trenches don't work well in a city of hundreds of thousands. Witness Haiti's capital or cities of other poor countries. The climb from simple sewer systems to garbage grinders in sinks and heated towel racks has been rapid in terms of human history. And its cost has been environmentally horrific.

There is no shame in utilizing modern technology to lead a healthy and socially contributing life. The learning curve is a defining human characteristic. However, as a humanist, I look to the fairness of technologies I choose to utilize. Am I utilizing a renewable resource? If not, am I utilizing the resources in a conscientious and responsible way? Is my life being essentially changed by the technology I choose to utilize? Is my life improved by it? Is my use of the technology done at the expense of poor workers in another country? These are a few of the questions I ask myself while staying in touch with what I feel is essential to maintain my health and well being. 

My life as a middle-class American is luxurious beyond the dreams of billions on the planet. I experience some shame at that simple fact. I also experience a sense of impotence when I think of how I might change that fact with my personal behavior. As a humanist. I can practice a way of living consciously and responsibly with the resources I have at my disposal. I can readily and happily pay taxes in my own country and state to help level the quality of life in my own society. I can offer generosity on a personal level to those who have less when I encounter them in my life. I can write a daily blog on humanist ideas.

My sense of humanism is not grandiose. It is quite simple and practical. I see humanism as the daily conscious practice of healthy living and generous sharing of myself and resources. This does not entail handing out ten-dollar bills to strangers who may well squander them on irresponsible and unhealthy behaviors. Mindfulness begins with an acknowledgment of my essential needs as a human being. Compassion develops by paying attention to the essential needs of others.