Humanist Thought of the Week

Reading Jeff Hawkins new book a Thousand Brains. He talks about how our brains think and how the brain can come to believe things that aren’t true. He says the best way to learn if you are wrong is to actively seek out evidence that you are wrong and to be open to being wrong so you can learn and be less wrong. Good advice. #humanism #skepticism #criticalthinking

We live in an interconnected world. Cultural differences can sometimes cause offense where none is intended. Give people the benefit of the doubt that they mean well and don’t assume they are horrible people. If we all treat each other with compassion we can learn from and honor each others differences and work past the inevitable faux pas that occur.

People and companies who want to do harm and not get caught are not good businesses. This is why humanism is so important

Being Different, Together. This is a great way to think about how to be human and humanist. 

My son thinks I'm confident. The reality is - I'm humble. I expect to screw up. I'm ok with screwing up and when I do - I just set about - fixing the problem.  That seems like confidence, but it's really  just humility.

How to tell the difference between someone rationalizing their opinion and someone trying to solve a problem.  Hint - are they open to corrective information? Or not? 

Don’t use your intelligence to rationalize your opinion. Instead, use it to figure out a good solution.

Cancel culture is about using violence to stop people from speaking. It’s not people speaking out against what they see as injustice.

I have the same dignity and worth as everyone else... and so do you! My Humanism – for me – eliminates power differentials. Using Humanism I don’t need to be afraid – all humans are – human – we are all equal. When you internalize that – the idea that some people are higher up or intimidating - just doesn’t happen – they are human. Just like me.

Nature and nurture. Biology helps me lead a happy life, but so does philosophy. Specifically Humanism. It’s why I teach it.

We are in a period of societal transformation, it's global in nature and it's difficult. The good news - is we can decide what we want our future to be like.

I'm a Humanist - but I do think the question - what would Jesus do - is a good one, because it reminds us to think - not about ourselves, but about how we might be compassionate with others. 

There are lots of things I should be doing - but I don't have time to do them all, so - I take all the things I don't want to do - and don't do them. Crazy - I know. 

What is the thing that makes you unique? Me? My grandmother told me I was put on this earth to love people. And that's what I've been doing every since. Every day - I try to love myself. Love my family. Love others. That's what my business is about too. Teaching people how to deal with difficult situations with love in their heart. Learn more at https://humanistlearning.com

It's possible to fix toxic workplaces. I've done it multiple times. It isn't easy to do though and - if you try, the toxic people will attack you. You can survive this and I have. In this video - I share a personal story I don't talk about much, to let you know how bad it can be but more importantly - that you can get through this and that it's worth it. https://humanistlearning.com/category/bullyingharassment/

What’s ideal might not be realistic, but it’s still worth thinking about

Spoke to teacher, she asked about positive psychology – not allowed to use the word no or stop – as they are negative. First – words aren’t negative. They are just arbitrary sounds. How you respond can be positive, negative or neutral. Second, if you positively reinforce a word – it becomes positive, not negative. Third, Stop and No – should be used as deltas and positively reinforced when the child or person responds positively to it – that’s how you create a positive association with the word instead of a negative one. Fourth – you may not be able to totally do this – as others probably do use these words as negatives and negatively reinforce them. Regardless – you do need delta’s and bridges. You just aren’t supposed to respond to a positive response to a delta using a negative response. You want to positively respond to the correct behavior once a delta is issued. All a delta is – is – that wasn’t correct – stop and reset. Basically focusing on the words and not whether you are positively or negatively responding to them – IS the problem. Finally – this isn’t “new” – behavioralists have been studying this forever. Every time I come across a positive parenting or positive psychology person – it’s like – they just discovered behavioral psychology – read up on it and don’t fully understand it – but they start teaching it anyway. I was apprenticed in this and it’s frustrating to listen to teachers who have been through a positive psychology training – a person with a background in clinical psychology a) not have been exposed to behavioral psychology at all and b) not be taught behavioral psychology properly! It underpins everything. Seriously. It does.  

Humanists reject theism and supernaturalism because we want to solve our problems. As my friend Kalai pointed out to me - You can pray all you want - but Jesus isn't going to brush your teeth for you. There are things we have to do for ourselves. Best get on with getting the work done.