President's Message
January 2010
Happy New Year everyone, I hope you had an enjoyable holiday season. As we start the New Year, there is talk in the media about the new decade and what happened in the last one. One rather humorous complaint is from the math minded people of the world. They point out that 2010 is not the first year of the second decade; it is the tenth year of the first decade. But I guess we have to go with the flow, as the majority of people see this year as the start of a new decade.
For me, my first thought is that I would like to see a little more peace in the world. I know, I know, a pretty tall order. But wouldn’t it be nice if humans could spend more of our human and natural resources on making life better for all humans and indeed all creatures here on earth. Humanity has the capacity to do so, but sadly at present not the collective will. I think there is just too much tribalism, religion and politics in the world, not to mention greed. (So what else is new I ask myself.) But that is why it is important for us as humanists to continue to advocate the affirmations of humanism and work to make life enjoyable in the here and now for everyone.
The first event of the year for our chapter will be our general meeting on the January 14, at 7:30 PM. This month we will present three members who will speak about their “Journey to Humanism.” Member Ruth Carol, Vice President Robert Mayhew, and I will be the presenters. It has been a few years since we have done this, so I think it is about time.
As I have read some of the newsletters of other humanist organizations, I have noticed that they often feature someone expressing what humanism means to them or giving an account of their “Journey” and what led them to humanism.
In the past our chapter also had an ongoing “Member Spotlight,” and those interviews are on our web site. I think it is time to start doing this again. It is a good way to get to know members better and a way for some of you to talk about your “Journey to Humanism” without getting up in front of everyone and talking. I am aware that public speaking is on top of the list of fears that people have.
In February we will host our third annual “Darwin Day with Humanists of Utah”. This year our speaker will be University of Utah history professor Bruce Dain and we will be hosting it at Eliot hall. So mark your calendar and bring a friend to our Darwin Day celebration of science.
--Robert Lane
President, HoU
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