Although the focus is "on the family" and compassion "begins at home", many of the suggestions are applicable elsewhere since compassion is the understanding of the emotional state of another. Compassion is often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of another or to show special kindness to those who suffer. Eight compassion-increasing suggestions are abbreviated below:
by Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University. Available on line at: richarddawkins.net/articles/3335
Most people are familiar with Greg Epstein's 2009 book, Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe. We recommend that his on-line commentary also be included in reading lists. The following are just a few of his insights that we have selected that are most relevant to caring, compassion and concern for others.
The golden rule appears in every religion, as (Karen) Armstrong points out. But if I might summarize it in my own purely secular and Humanistic language, its message is that the very first thing we must do in order to be good people is learn to look inside ourselves, understand what we love and hate, and use this information when deciding how to treat others.
In other words, it's an obvious point. But it's also achingly, embarrassingly important.... But if you have a society that lacks this principle of compassion? Then all hell really will break loose. Then you don't have a society. You have chaos.
... I hope Armstrong and all those who support her initiative will acknowledge that turning to the golden rule for inspiration means tabling any notion that we cannot be good without god, or that atheists and agnostics should ever be considered 2nd-class moral citizens, because not a single version of the golden rule requires a god.
...I'm not saying religion makes you more likely to sin, but it has a less than stellar success rate as a prophylactic against immorality. If you want to do something naughty, you're going to do it, and all the theology in the world isn't going to stop you.
... Imagine if all the arguing we do over prayer in schools, or about which religion has the right laws or which miracles really took place, were instead devoted to national days of the golden rule, and into seminars and sermons on learning to better relate to our fellow human beings--more love, more compassion. We'd probably still miss our mark fairly often, sometimes running the risk of descending into Hallmark kitsch. But if this is what Armstrong has in mind, she can sign me up and I hope many in my extended community--the world's half-billion Humanists, atheists and agnostics--will join me in making the most of a project with noble intentions.
These are only the "tip of the iceberg".
Published in the March-April 2008 issue of The Humanist.
Armineh Noravian leads the The Humanist Community, the AHA chapter in Silicon Valley. If you have not read her article, we suggest you do so as soon as you can. As in the item described above, we have selected some of her valuable insights:
Recently a Humanist friend asked if compassion and empathy had any place in our lives, and if so, who or what were the focuses of those emotions in us? The way we answer these questions, said my friend, would demonstrate what being a humanist means and how we define ourselves.
As a humanist, I'm motivated by compassion and sympathy to help others. But I realize that although it's beneficial to those who receive help, the act of helping primarily satisfies my own sense of responsibility and duty. It provides temporary relief for those in need but changes nothing of the situation that puts them there. We focus on helping others with their immediate needs because we can't bear the suffering we see. But in doing so, we become oblivious to the structures that keep them there.
I consider it my responsibility to not only help others who may need help, but also to recognize and help them change those structures that prevent them from becoming self-sufficient and having full upward mobility. People should be able to choose how they wish to live for themselves in a way that fits their own needs. Granted, this isn't an easy task. The various structural obstacles that certain people have to overcome in order to achieve full economic freedom can be truly daunting.
In the end, our task is not to make others the subjects for our compassion and empathy, but to work towards constructing a society where people will be free from this dependence. As humanists, we must first learn about the barriers that the less fortunate face, then work along side them to eliminate these barriers. We should not only help provide for their immediate and short-term needs, but to also help them access resources that will make them independent of the compassion and empathy of others, and allow them to achieve long-term self-sufficiency and economic freedom. These resources would, at a minimum, include education, health care, legal protection, voting rights, equal employment opportunity, and a clean environment. Anything less than this could leave them dependent on others and create a different kind of prison: one in which people are prevented from living with dignity.
So, to answer the question posed by my friend, I feel a sense of compassion and empathy toward those in need. But it's important that we differentiate between our need to help and the needs of those whom we are helping.
by Daniel T. Strain, Humanists of Houston December 2006
Daniel Strain writes that Humanist Contemplatives are not a separate group from Humanists but are individuals who can work with and in existing Humanist organizations. These are Humanists with a particular focus on the personal aspects of Humanism as a life practice. The topics of his paper include: The Foundations, The Flourishing Life, Thoughts and Beliefs, Ethics and Practice, and Society. It is The Foundation section that spells out the humanist value of Compassion. We have included that section in its entirety:
Compassion is the foundational principle on which Humanist Contemplative thought is based. Compassion means love, concern, and caring for self, our fellow human beings, and life in general. All other principles of Humanist Contemplative thought - the application of reason, the pursuit of a flourishing life, the function of ethics, and our role in society - spring from this foundation and serve its ends.
Humanist Contemplatives recognize that Compassion is natural to our healthy development as social beings. This springs from the fact that we are all interconnected and interdependent - a result of the workings of nature and the world. When we nurture our Compassion, we live more fulfilled and meaningful lives because we act in accordance with our best nature as human beings.
Compassion includes love and caring for the wellbeing of everyone, which results in several things. For one, this Compassion includes ourselves. When we use Compassion it does not imply allowing ourselves to be dominated or abused by others. Caring for everyone also implies that we attempt to have Compassion even for our enemies. Some people who act poorly may be victims of their own misunderstandings and they suffer greatly for their deeds, even if they do not realize the source of their suffering. When we try to help our enemies improve, we are improved.
Being Compassionate means more than speaking the words and simply 'caring' within our own minds. Compassion is most essentially practiced through action. Humanist Contemplative thought seeks to move individuals to act on their values to a greater degree - whether it is in their interactions with those around them in daily life, or whether this refers to doing good for others. Humanist Contemplatives do not pray for others - rather, they should do for others. Without action, we are hypocrites.
Many Humanist and other freethought organizations have often focused on reason and rationality as the starting point or foundation. Reason is an important natural faculty but it is primarily a tool. The ends for which that tool is used depend on our underlying motivations - and that is where the foundation of a philosophy is to be found. Rationality leads to a better understanding of our world, but regardless of what is true or false about reality - the simple fact of our coexistence here and now, and the benefits of Compassion here and now, are true. The reason we promote rationality is precisely because of its ability to improve the lives of others and ourselves. This shows that the real foundation of Humanism is Compassion.
For the complete essay, see:
www.dtstrain.com/contemplatives/humanist-contemplative.htm
Without Burnt Offerings: Ceremonies of Humanism by Algernon D. Black, New York, The Viking Press, 1974 (231 pages, paperback).
Algernon Black (1900 - 1993), a long-time leader of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, described how as a young assistant in the society he began to realize that through ceremonies humanism could help people face difficulties and crises; offer creative and loving ways to celebrate life; nourish lives with dignity, honesty, and beauty; and help people live with greater meaning and courage - none of which need to be based on dogmatic theologies or religious and mystical myths. The result was this moving book with sections on naming, initiation, marriage, memorial services, and invocations. As Black wrote, the ceremonies are not, nor can they be, fixed and inflexible; each is shaped by particular people in unique situations. In his book, Black shared a number of his experiences and expressions, all of which were intended to help people "find ways of meeting the challenges of nature and the most difficult problems of the world of human relationships."
Each of the sections noted above begin with a brief introduction that includes a brief historical context. One of the most moving and personal meaningful to me was his statement on "three wishes at death" which are summarized here: (1) that those we love, our family and friends should understand what we lived for, our values and intentions, what we meant by our life at best, seeing our faults and mistakes with understanding and generosity; (2) that our lives have made a difference and that because of us the world might be a better place; and (3) that we would wish that those we love and whose lives are close, should not be confused, lost or depressed but rather have the courage to face the future with a clear sense of direction and concern for each other.
Two of the most moving memorials were for a person I did not know but wish I had and a person I knew quite well and proud that I did. I did not know Andrew Goodman, one of the three young civil rights workers who was killed in Mississippi in 1964 and whose service was held at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. The other was Alice ("Nanny") Pollitzer who - among many other leadership roles - served as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Encampment for Citizenship which I attended many years ago. "Nanny", as we all called her, lived to the age of 102. She was the "youngest" person I ever knew. Here, in part, is what Al Black quoted from "Nanny" in his memorial talk: "... And when she was 101 she said, You know something? Love can keep you alive, Love can keep you young, And it can go on forever."
Bob Bhaerman
May 7, 2009
