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I, Human

I have, over the past few years, glanced at various secular humanist websites, and have found that my personal life philosophy is very much aligned with their goals - almost to a tee.

At the core of humanism, is a profound appreciation for the quite simple fact that, at a fundamental level, we are all the same. That is, despite superficial differences such as skin colour, cultural diversity, personal opinions, biases, beliefs, gender, social status etc, - we are all humans, sharing the same basic needs. We all get born on this planet, live out our lives here, and die here.

Why then, do we so often perceive each other as so drastically different, even to the extent of despising each other for these differences?

My personal opinion is that most, if not all, of our misconceptions of each other, stem from early childhood indoctrination. This can range from political ideologies, religious doctrines, racial and ethnic prejudices, misogyny, classism etc

Indoctrination (Oxford dictionary): Teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.

There is only one inclusive label we all rightfully deserve: Homo sapiens sapiens. The rest should be distinct secondary labels, which should merely serve to distinguish between cultural, gender and other qualitative differences in a non-discriminatory fashion. In other words, we can (and should) celebrate diversity, but only after first acknowledging and emphasising our basic uniformity.

Children, from as early an age possible, should be constantly reminded of this very simple, but important and irrefutable fact: We are all human beings, first and foremost. For example; If your 5 year old asks of you why the neighbours look or act different from you, explain to him/her that they are fellow humans of Japanese descent, or fellow humans believing in Vishnu, etc

In the same way that toddlers in playgroups see each other as essentially the same, that same qualitative assessment of each other should ideally persist for the rest of our lives. I can think of no good reason why it can or should not.

In general, mutual respect is a good starting point when interacting with others, but needless to say, enduring respect has to be earned or deserved (based on merit and/or our conduct with each other).

This writing specifically considers secular humanism, so a few thoughts on religion and secularism: Whether we are religious or not, most of us are in fact humanists. That is: we feel the same about most things in general. We have the same basic needs, similar things make us cry, excited, happy, angry etc.

Would we necessarily be better off as a predominant secular humanist society? I personally believe that to be the case.

One reason being, that with a decrease in religiosity, a pervasive source of discrimination gets reduced. It is worth keeping in mind that this discrimination and/or exclusion may occur either subtly or explicitly. Consider as well that many major religions are mutually exclusive. Labels such as he/she is a Protestant or a Catholic child, or a Christian, Muslim or Hindu, will become unnecessary or redundant.

A further motivation for adopting secular humanism worldwide, is that it will help us to focus on the here and now - no afterlife, heaven, or Valhalla to yearn for. There is simply no evidence for any such claimed realms.

In some extreme cases, fundamentalist religious groups have expressed that they would actually welcome a world wide apocalyptic event. It will allegedly represent the "End Times" as predicted in their scriptures, thus heralding the imminent meeting with their maker(s). This idea is even romanticised in the "Left Behind" novels and films.

Such bizarre examples aside, on an individual, as well as at a species level, when you cease to exist, you are gone forever, never to return

We literally have everything to lose - just like any other species.

Humanity, as a whole, are faced with some formidable challenges: The relentlessly expanding world population, climate change, natural disasters, and inevitably, somewhere in the poorly defined future, an extinction event such as a massive asteroid impact, or a super volcano eruption.

For any of these scenarios, our chances of survival as a species might be greatly improved if we accept, pre-empt, and approach these challenges as a united force. The only thing we all have in common, to facilitate such a degree of cooperation, is the human thread linking us all together. Looking at the bigger picture, is it not imperative to set our differences aside and start pulling together?

Individual immortality is a pipe dream, but as a species, we can hopefully strive towards it. I cannot think of a more admirable cause than contributing, no matter in how small a way, to the survival of our species - here on Earth, and eventually, perhaps elsewhere in the cosmos.

Lastly, even if we fail at ensuring the ultimate survival of our species, secular humanism might, at the very least, ensure optimised living conditions for all of humanity.

Addendum:

A Secular Humanism manifesto (Abbreviated from the American Humanist Association):

• Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. (Empiricism)

• Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of evolutionary change, which is an unguided process.

• Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. (Ethical naturalism)

• Life’s fulfilment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals.

• Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships.

• Working to benefit society maximises individual happiness.

• Respect for differing yet humane views in an open, secular, democratic, environmentally sustainable society.

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