Skepticism

There is a lot of off-handed dismissal of skeptical people as conspiracy theorists. This is an age of denial: Denial of the value of science, denial of the value of good governance, denial of social responsibility. This is symptomatic of a culture of "Look at me.". The paradox of the "Look at me." culture is its use of leveling social media to promote the narcissist agenda.

 

Does anyone seriously believe the postings on Facebook tell a real story about the life of the poster? Is every life composed of flattering photographs and the humor displayed by shared links?  Is this virtual social process enhancing the actual public space?

 

Narcissism is enabled by virtual media. Self-delusion is enabled by endless self-promotion. So much time is devoted to developing a virtual persona. This leaves little time to actually work on developing a real persona.

 

Humanist practice, as I see it, entails being actually human and evolving through real behavior in real time. This takes a lot of time and effort. It leaves little time for playing with a Facebook profile.

 

If I am developing an actual sense of who I am with skeptical self-inquiry, I naturally require self-education and behavioral change to do so. I must question, challenge and experiment within my own life. Pretending I am celebrity material and then pursuing the business of becoming one without any substance to what I have to offer to the world is a dead end. Skeptically examining the lives of superstars will bear me out on this point.

 

Rather than striving for celebrity, the practicing humanist strives for personal substance. The person who practices mindfulness and compassion celebrates his own full experience of his humanity. This is a road to growth and joy.