Today is December 23rd. On this day, some Humanists, myself included, celebrate the holiday of Humanlight. I thought I'd take a moment to say a few words on this occasion.
Humanlight is about celebrating reason, compassion, and hope. Each of those is symbolized by the candles lit today.
And never before has lighting candles been more important, when all around us seems dark.
Every day, since November, though the roots go back farther, the shadows of unreason, hard-heartedness, and despair have threatened to smother us. It's very easy to forget how far we've come when we're faced with powerful forces that can easily make us lose some of the ground we've gained.
But remember, here we are, in the middle of winter, where the cold and the dark, which were once bloodthirsty killers, are now mere nuisances we avoid in our warm, electrically lit homes. Food, which before would have been preserved and stocked carefully for this time, is now readily available for those who can afford it.
And it's not just in those ways we've come far. As little as 100 years ago, women didn't have the vote, gay people had to stay deep in the closet, and unbelief was social poison and a thing to be kept hidden. Through constant struggle, all of these things have changed. Despite efforts against them, we won those victories, and we can keep them.
It all starts with lighting those candles against the dark; using the light of reason to find out what works, using the light of compassion to use those works well, and using the light of hope to keep those lights burning.
Together, those three lights light up a path to a future where all of us as humans can peacefully coexist and become our greatest examples of our potential. Someday, our lights won't just be the candles, but the stars in the night sky, innumerable, enormous, and far spread.
And that's what today's about for me; candles in the dark, and it's particularly dark where I am.
I hope you have a happy Humanlight, and maybe light your own candles against the darkness. :)
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8 years, 7 months ago
23 Dec 2016 10:45 CET
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