Prayer is Not a Substitute for Action

There is nothing wrong with praying when it is used in conjunction with action.  The problem arises when people feel content with prayer as their principal method for eliciting change.  Recently I read a woman's account of how her young daughter responded to dealing with a little girl in her class who was misbehaving.  The mother proudly announced how her daughter went to her room and prayed for her classmate to have a better attitude the following day.  Then the little girl went to bed, content that her words spoken in prayer were enough to make a difference.  I couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed at the mother for encouraging her daughter to solve her problems in this way.  There is a certain amount of righteousness that comes with prayer that gives the pray-er a feeling of accomplishment that can be dangerously substituted for action.  There is nothing wrong with the little girl wishing good on one of her classmates but this approval, and even encouragement, of using prayer as a substitute for handling one's personal problems will not help the little girl with real world problems as she matures.  A religious person will usually put their personal problems in 'God's' hands, while a humanist will try to handle them with deeds.  While a religious person believes that a higher power has everything under control, a humanist is not convinced and chooses to take a more proactive and participatory approach to the world.  Support humanity, take action, be a humanist! 

Get to Know Yourself!

If you've never had the pleasure of taking the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, you should!  I was introduced to it for the first time in high school an undisclosed number of years ago (cough, cough).  My English teacher had us all take the assessment during class and I thought the results were fascinatingly spot-on.  I have taken the assessment a couple more times over the years out of curiosity and have always gotten the same result.  It is amazing how descriptive and accurate the results are and how the assessment can help you learn more about yourself, how you operate and how you interact with the world and the people in it.  If you have not taken the assessment, try this shortened version for free here:  www.humanmetrics.com.  I took this one to see how the results compared to the original and I got the same personality results so it seems legitimate.  Knowing yourself helps you understand your unique perspective of the world and this, in turn, helps you to understand that everyone operates within the parameters of their own unique personality.  It truly is an enlightening way to get to know yourself and those around you.  The only way we can change the world is by changing ourselves and we can't do this unless we know ourselves.  This is a great step in that process.  I encourage you to take the assessment!  I think you'll be amazed at the accuracy.  I am an INFJ.  What are you?  Comment your results below!

Learning from History

    This is such an eye-opening and inspirational speech about the reasons behind the recent removal of certain historical monuments.  I encourage you to read it and/or watch it here: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/05/23/new-orleans-mayor-denounces-false-narrative-our-history-speech-defending-confederate

     Confronting history with clarity and honesty is the only way to learn and grow from it.  The recent removal of confederate monuments that represent the historical oppression of a large part of our population is a huge step in the right direction toward unifying our country.  Perspective is key in understanding history, current events and each other.  It is a difficult task, but if we are able to peel away the political, religious, cultural, national, etc. layers of self-imposed identification then we are left with one glaring similarity:  our humanness.  Humanists see this connection and use it as the basis for all decision-making.

     It is imperative to view history with the cleanest lens possible for an accurate portrayal of events so that we can address the issues that were present at the time and learn from both the mistakes and the successes that resulted.  The humanistic lens is the most transparent of them all.  

Make the World More Beautiful

Looking for a way to make the world AND yourself more beautiful?  With every purchase of toxin-free, aloe-based products from my page at https://shop.blackboxcosmetics.com/JB1943, 20-25% of the purchase price (100% of my commission) will be donated to the 'Save the Children' federation, a wonderful non-profit organization that helps children in 120 countries all over the world.  You can also donate directly to them on their website, either as a one-time donation or set up a monthly automatic recurring payment.  Learn more about what they do and how their money is spent at http://www.savethechildren.org

At The Helpful Humanist, I try to find ideas and inspiration for all of us to contribute to the world in ways that benefit us all.  Save the Children is one of my favorite organizations to support.  I hope you will join me in helping the children of the world who need our continuous support.  🌍👦🏾🌎👧🏼🌏

American Humanist Association

     This page on the American Humanist Association's website offers a multitude of enlightening resources on humanism:   https://americanhumanist.org/what-is-humanism/.  I am still perusing the various links and thoroughly enjoying each and every one thus far.  I wish I had known about humanism years ago!  I have always questioned the cultural norm that is Christianity here in the United States but was never intrigued enough to commit to any philosophy other than a half-hearted agnostic stance.  It wasn't until recently, with the potential threat of the U.S. turning into a Christian theocracy under the influence of the Trump cabinet, that I started delving deeper into understanding my disregard for Christianity.  I soon went from an indifferent agnostic to a de facto atheist to a passionate humanist in relatively rapid succession.  I read a comment recently under an article on Progressive Secular Humanist's Facebook page that I really liked.  I don't remember which article it was under or who wrote it or I would credit their beautiful idea to them.  The person wrote that they had always viewed this transformation as a progression similar to that of the metamorphosis of a butterfly.  Agnosticism equates to the pupa stage; atheism is the chrysalis and humanism is the transformation to the butterfly.  I love that comparison!

     The only thing that every human on earth has in common is that we are all....HUMAN.  Therefore, it only makes sense for us to deconstruct the belief systems that separate us and continue on the path to unity through humanism.  The only way to humanize people is to see them through human eyes.  Humanize through human eyes by wiping your worldview clean from the blur of self-identifying beliefs.  People are not their religion, their political affiliation or any other self-identifying belief. People are people are people are people all day long.  We all have a lot more in common than not.  It's important to unify through our similarities, not divide by our differences.  Solidarity is key and the best thing about humanism is that people of all races, religions, political identifications, cultures, etc. can be humanists.  It is all-inclusive and necessary for our peaceful survival.