Yes, it's arbitrarily assigned to a date in early winter, but why not? So's everything else.
Human beings naturally feel the urge to celebrate the time when the shortening days finally begin to lengthen and life returns with the sun.
So call it HumanLight Day: Celebrating Humanity, Reason and Hope.
HumanLight illuminates Humanism's positive secular vision in late December.
In Western societies, late December is a season of good cheer and a time for gatherings of friends and families ... This tradition of celebrations, however, is grounded in supernatural religious beliefs that many people in modern society cannot accept.
HumanLight presents an alternative reason to celebrate: a Humanist's vision of a good future. It is a future in which all people can identify with each other, behave with the highest moral standards, and work together toward a happy, just and peaceful world.
(More after the jump.)
It is a vision that we not only wish to celebrate, but which we also wish to communicate to our children, families and friends. We want the people important to us to understand the ideals that we hold most dear to our hearts and, in so doing, to have a fuller understanding of who we are as people.
Similarly, the celebration of HumanLight promises to give humanism a larger presence in the public view. It is an event that draws attention, often attracting reporters as well. Through the publicity that HumanLight generates, we can reach people who, because they cannot accept supernatural explanations or religious guidelines for living, feel alone and isolated in our society, unaware of the humanist organizations, events and publications that are available to them.
It is also important to us that people who are not Humanists know that we exist, that their society includes honest, generous, productive people who do not believe in gods or religions.
HumanLight encourages us to have fun enjoying music, art, food, and each other's company. It also gives us an opportunity to convey that although we don't believe in the supernatural, we do believe in the growth and betterment of all people through reason, science, empathy, joy, optimism and moral excellence. It is a message we present in kindness, at a moment when we come together not to engage in debate but to make both emotional and intellectual contact in a positive and constructive atmosphere.
Personally, I'd like to start a tradition of gathering those who have used superstitious religious beliefs to abuse, attack and murder others, and executing them by slow torture. But feel free to celebrate HumanLight Day as you see fit.
Cross-posted at They Gave Us A Republic ....
