Confusion

There is a vast difference between the humanist acceptance of natural life as it exists and the current media-based attitude of "It's all good." The humanist, while acknowledging physical realities of existence, such as aging, disease and eventual death, also accepts the responsibility which comes from investigation, education and skepticism.

 

The "It's all good." mentality is hedonistic and unethical. It belies an intellectual laziness. Anyone who flexes a few brain cells and looks around at human society knows it isn't all good. The poor know it is not all good. Those stricken by violence or disaster know it is not all good.

 

I do not believe that humanism entails a quest to control society or the environment. I do believe that humanism entails taking full responsibility for one human life and one personal environment, my own. I start by realistically assessing and accepting my own life. From that acceptance of responsibility, I can them become a person who can be mindful and compassionate in my environment. If I begin by looking at my own life and its environment with an "It's all good." attitude, I eliminate growth or improvement from the get-go.

 

The "good" in "It's all good." reveals the basic moralist equivocation of that attitude toward life. Life for the secular humanist is neither good nor bad. Life may be fortunate, functional, progressive, miserable, poor, lucky...but life is not simply a blanket good or bad. Overcoming the depressive dismissal of ability to change, to make a difference, to improve is the beginning of a humanist practice in life.