I wanted to bring this up now because I think it helps to focus our efforts on identifying which outreach projects we want to undertake. As humanists, we not only want to do good, but also to help people (including ourselves) understand what our humanist principles are and what it means to put them into practice in humanist ways. So, adopting a stretch of highway (should we choose to do that) isn’t just about picking up litter; it’s about caring for our environment and showing the people around us that this is something humanists do, and to do it together. Likewise, helping distribute food at Road Runner Food Bank (again, should we choose to do that together) is about helping people in real need, treating everyone with care and respect, and showing that this is what humanists do.
In these very difficult times, it’s easy to get caught up in just trying to address the next crisis, in whatever small way we can. I hope that whatever we decide to do as a community, both the old and the new things, will do more than fix a problem; that it will help us, and the people we interact with, to understand more fully what it means to be good humans.
I look forward to continuing to share this journey with you.