The democratic candidate in the Massachusetts senatorial special election to replace the late Ted Kennedy was soundly defeated. Several analysts theorized the reason was a failure to effectively communicate. The analysts' comments stimulated my thinking about the membership problems of our chapter.

Our membership numbers have declined more than 20% during the past ten years. Death has been the major cause, a few losses by previous members not renewing. We have not attracted enough new members to replace either. I wonder if we, like the democrats, are also failing to communicate. Do we know what we want to communicate? Do we know the essence of humanism? Do we know how to communicate effectively?

Humanism is more than a scientific society. We are also a society that encourages ethics, morality, and compassion. Humanism is concerned with human relations, happiness, fulfilling of life's needs, physical and emotional, as well as intellectual. Our goal is similar to the goals of a liberal arts college, encourage people to develop habits of the mind that will connect the dots to a full life.

We have two challenges, first, clearly defining humanism. Secondly, discovering how to communicate that definition.

--Flo Wineriter