Happy Humanists,
Hello, and happy New Year. In the Frozen North of Canada we have statutory holidays scattered throughout the year. I hope that you have taken the recent ones to develop your relationships with your family and friends. To take enjoyment in each other’s company. Humans are a social species and for most of us we need that social contact. It’s part of a fully developed human life. I hope that you were able to take full advantage of the winter holiday season, and that the time spent was enjoyable and enriching.
This month: Sam Harris on “Can Science Determine Human Values”
On Monday, January 31st (UNUSUAL DAY!) we will be meeting at the Barrie Public Library for a video presentation of a talk Sam Harris gave about his book The Moral Landscape. There is mixed reaction to this controversial work and I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s opinions on them. We have two copies of this book that you can pick up for a minimum donation of $20. Doors open at 6:30, and the presentation starts promptly at 7 PM.
As is our tradition, we will be meeting for dinner and discussion at 5 PM at Swiss Chalet on Bayfield St. Anyone is welcome to come. If you have any questions about our pre-meeting dinner, please email me and ask.
Humanist Canada membership
Humanist Canada recently emailed all members asking for a renewal. Humanist Canada is a national affiliate of the Central Ontario Humanists and if you aren’t a member I would recommend looking in to the organization. They have been instrumental in growing our group in our earlier days. You can download the membership renewal form. For more information go to http://humanistcanada.com/ and find out more.
Also, many your memberships will be expiring soon. We will let you know.
President’s Message
As your newly confirmed president I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who has been supportive of me over the last month. Your congratulations and well wishes were very important to me. But the most important message I can think of for this month is to say thank you for all the former executive members and past presidents over the years. There is an African word “Ubuntu” (sometimes referred to ‘Humanism’) which means “I am who I am, because we are who we are.” I know that I have grown with my involvement in this group personally. But it works the other way around too: we are who are, because all of you are who you are. And the former executive members are people who have put in the time and energy to make COHA work.
Thank you all!
Ponderāre
While listening to Tim Minchin’s “Storm” (strong language and swearing) I was struck by the Humanistic idea in that beat poem about how this life is valuable. He was trying to understand why some people seem to require a meta-physical mystery over the mysteries of the physical world and grandeur of a naturalistic view of life (to paraphrase Darwin). When asking “isn’t this enough, just this world? Just this? This wonderful, complex, wonderfully unfathomably, natural world.” As way of analogy, he quoted Shakespeare. And that (extended) quote is what I will leave you with today.
Therefore, to be possess’d with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before,
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess…
~King John (Act 4, Scene 2)
(Submit your quotes online)
-Shawn
