Skip to main content

Humanism: Celebration of Life

 


One of the best philosophies of life is humanism. It is an attitude to the world that is centred on human experiences, thoughts and hopes. Our rational faculty is the foundation of this philosophy. Our reason can tell us clearly why certain actions are good and others are bad. Our reason can tell us why we should choose the good and avoid the bad and hence can be the solid foundation of our morality. Our moral code does not require other trappings like gods and religions.

Humanism asserts that we have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to our lives. This noble philosophy aims to build a more humane society through an ethic based on human and natural values in the spirit of reason and free enquiry.

The American Humanist Association defines humanism as “a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfilment that aspire to the greater good.” It is informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion.

Every word in the above definition deserves attention. We can and we should live ethical lives. Religions also tell you the same thing. But religions posit eternal reward or punishment as the ultimate motive which apparently does not convince most believers. We are asked to be good in order to merit heaven and avoid evil in order to escape hell. Or something similar to that. It may be rebirth instead of heaven and hell. Whatever it is, religion’s offerings lie somewhere out there, far away in the realms of faith. The world has not become any better a place for all that. Humanism tells us that the benefits of being good and doing good lie here itself. By being good and doing good, we create a better world here itself. Heaven can be here itself; there is no need to wait for death.

Humanism does not accept truths from books merely because they claim to be divine or inspired. Humanism wants reasons. It relies on reason and science for proofs. Not everything can be proved in science labs. Why we should choose good and avoid evil, for example, cannot be proved using test tubes and chemicals. But our reason can tell us clearly why we should do that. But there are a lot of other situations where science can assist us to separate truth from falsehood.

Art inspires us and teaches the finest lessons of life. Humanism relies heavily on art for the attainment of nobility while most ordinary mortals rely on religions and gods. Human history shows us that gods and religions have not been able to create a humane world so far though they have been with us for millennia now. If we keep on doing the same thing, we will keep getting the same result, as Einstein said. If we continue to place our trust in gods and religions, we will keep getting more crusades, jihads, and other holy wars. Just think of the millions of lives extinguished brutally in the name of gods and creeds. Humanism never snuffs out lives for the sake of entities supposedly living on some other planet or somewhere in the outer space.

Humanism is all about your dignity and liberty. You are worthy of respect just because you are who you are and not because some god created you in his image. You have the freedom to think and act so long as you don’t encroach on the freedom of the next person. You have the freedom to create something new using your imagination and other aesthetic faculties. You have the opportunity to create a better world.

Think rather than feel, humanism tells us. Have well-informed thoughts. That is what can make the world a better place.

Appreciate the arts, literature, music, crafts and other such creative outputs of human beings. They enrich our lives.

Take responsibility for your own life by seeking new knowledge and exploring new options.

Humanism is a quest for more truths and a better world.

PS. This is powered by #BlogchatterA2Z

Read the previous parts of this series below:

A: Absurdity

B: Bandwagon Effect

C: Chiquitita’s Sorrows

D: Delusions

E: Ego Integrity

F: Fictional Finalism

G: The Good Child

Tomorrow: Intelligence is not enough

Comments

  1. Navita BhatiaApril 9, 2021 at 9:06 AM

    A beautiful logic based concept that teaches us to appreciate the basic values in our lives. Let's make this world a better place by taking charge of our lives and accepting the responsibility of our actions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 9, 2021 at 4:20 PM

      Humanism is charming for those who prefer reason to emotion.

      Delete
  2. जितेन्द्र माथुरApril 9, 2021 at 10:39 AM

    Have well-informed thoughts. That is what can make the world a better place. You said it Sir. A quest for truth should always remain. Blindly believing whatever is told proves to be self-destructive sooner or later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 9, 2021 at 4:23 PM

      But aren't we astounded by the fan-following got by blind beliefs?

      Delete
  3. MridulaApril 9, 2021 at 4:13 PM

    Sounds so interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  4. suhavijayApril 9, 2021 at 7:46 PM

    I liked the logic behind this concept of Humanisim. Ofcourse your conclusion is one thing that would stay with me for a while definitely. Both the following sentences have such a profound meaning in them.
    Take responsibility for your own life by seeking new knowledge and exploring new options.

    Humanism is a quest for more truths and a better world

    ReplyDelete
  5. DEEPIKAApril 9, 2021 at 7:56 PM

    a beautiful concept if understood correctly i believe. Does it differ from the renaissance humanism which was the intellectual movement in middle ages?
    deepika sharma

    ReplyDelete
  6. Durga Prasad DashApril 10, 2021 at 2:12 PM

    While the East has given concepts like Compassion and Vasudhaiba Kutumbakam (All the word is one family), the the west has given beautiful concepts like humanism. All these are beautiful concepts and can be applied for common good of the whole world. At the same time every nation whether big or small wants to dominate over the whole world. Then there are corporate interests. In spite of all that maybe because there are people who are compassionate and believe in humanism, the world is still a livable place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 10, 2021 at 5:27 PM

      Indeed, because of that minority of adherents to humane values the world remains a bearable place.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Randeep the melody

Many people in this pic have made their presence in this A2Z series A phone call came from an unknown number the other day. “Is it okay to talk to you now, Sir?” The caller asked. The typical start of a conversation by an influencer. “What’s it about?” My usual response looking forward to something like: “I am so-and-so from such-and-such business firm…” And I would cut the call. But there was a surprise this time. “I am Randeep…” I recognised him instantly. His voice rang like a gentle music in my heart. Randeep was a student from the last class 12 batch of Sawan. One of my favourites. He is unforgettable. Both Maggie and I taught him at Sawan where he was a student from class 4 to 12. Nine years in a residential school create deep bonds between people, even between staff and students. Randeep was an ideal student. Good at everything yet very humble and spontaneous. He was a top sportsman and a prefect with eminent leadership. He had certain peculiar problems with academics. Ans
25 comments
Read more

The Adventures of Toto as a comic strip

  'The Adventures of Toto' is an amusing story by Ruskin Bond. It is prescribed as a lesson in CBSE's English course for class 9. Maggie asked her students to do a project on some of the lessons and Femi George's work is what I would like to present here. Femi converted the story into a beautiful comic strip. Her work will speak for itself and let me present it below.  Femi George Student of Carmel Public School, Vazhakulam, Kerala Similar post: The Little Girl
37 comments
Read more

Sanjay and other loyalists

AI-generated illustration Some people, especially those in politics, behave as if they are too great to have any contact with the ordinary folk. And they can get on with whoever comes to power on top irrespective of their ideologies and principles. Sanjay was one such person. He occupied some high places in Sawan school [see previous posts, especially P and Q ] merely because he knew how to play his cards more dexterously than ordinary politicians. Whoever came as principal, Sanjay would be there in the elite circle. He seemed to hold most people in contempt. His respect was reserved for the gentry. I belonged to the margins of Sawan society, in Sanjay’s assessment. So we hardly talked to each other. Looking back, I find it quite ludicrous to realise that Sanjay and I lived on the same campus 24x7 for a decade and a half without ever talking to each other except for official purposes.      Towards the end of our coexistence, Sawan had become a veritable hell. Power supply to the
12 comments
Read more

Thomas the Saint

AI-generated image His full name was Thomas Augustine. He was a Catholic priest. I knew him for a rather short period of my life. When I lived one whole year in the same institution with him, I was just 15 years old. I was a trainee for priesthood and he was many years my senior. We both lived in Don Bosco school and seminary at a place called Tirupattur in Tamil Nadu. He was in charge of a group of boys like me. Thomas had little to do with me directly as I was under the care of another in-charge. But his self-effacing ways and angelic smile drew me to him. He was a living saint all the years I knew him later. When he became a priest and was in charge of a section of a Don Bosco institution in Kochi, I met him again and his ways hadn’t changed an iota. You’d think he was a reincarnation of Jesus if you met him personally. You won’t be able to meet him anymore. He passed away a few years ago. One of the persons whom I won’t ever forget, can’t forget as long as the neurons continu
16 comments
Read more

Pranita a perverted genius

Bulldozer begins its work at Sawan Pranita was a perverted genius. She had Machiavelli’s brain, Octavian’s relentlessness, and Levin’s intellectual calibre. She could have worked wonders if she wanted. She could have created a beautiful world around her. She had the potential. Yet she chose to be a ruthless exterminator. She came to Sawan Public School just to kill it. A religious cult called Radha Soami Satsang Beas [RSSB] had taken over the school from its owner who had never visited the school for over 20 years. This owner, a prominent entrepreneur with a gargantuan ego, had come to the conclusion that the morality of the school’s staff was deviating from the wavelengths determined by him. Moreover, his one foot was inching towards the grave. I was also told that there were some domestic noises which were grating against his patriarchal sensibilities. One holy solution for all these was to hand over the school and its enormous campus (nearly 20 acres of land on the outskirts
13 comments
Read more