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Nope. It doesn't seem important or relevant. It is not a religion, but a way of Life. If we need a day...12th Feb. Really has to be.
No not a religion, but as Grandstander said, there are lots of obscure days in the year to commemorate, celebrate or raise awareness of this or that. The vast majority are not public holidays obviously. 'Non-smoking day' for example.
I think its nice to have a national 'day' of some sort. I bet 99.9% of the population of America has never even heard of Humanism. The thing is with the word 'atheism' is it can often have this strange negative connotation. There have been lots of threads on here questioning what atheists do for morals, as if atheists are somehow devoid of morality. All humanism seeks to do is show that atheists are humans with morals too, and that it is possible to live in a good way without having some kind of god in your life.
I do think that is a thing to be celebrated and perhaps promoted in some way.
I do know what you mean though. I have thought of myself as a humanist for about 5 years maybe, but only because that's when I heard about the humanist society and realised that was me. I never joined up because as you imply, what's the point, when you are a humanist anyway? I'm also a vegetarian but I don't belong to the vegetarian society.
Maybe I should become a member of the Humanist society? Then I can pass on relevant events and info to you lovely people on this forum. I'd have known about World Humanist Day for a start.
Sorry, I talked with the anti-Unicornists and they refuse to share.
That bad press of ours again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruithne
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Maybe I should become a member of the Humanist society? Then I can pass on relevant events and info to you lovely people on this forum. I'd have known about World Humanist Day for a start.
Today is Sunday, The Lord's Day as the Christians have it, and it struck me that atheists have no equivalent. If the pious are entitled to one day in seven, the non believers should at least get one day a month.
But what to call it? Atheist's Day? Non Believer's Day? Rationality Day? Remember to keep reasonable Empirical Evidence Day?
If not once a month, then surely the nation could tolerate once a year. President Obama declares an official Atheists Day. And why not? The list of things which get days is preposterous already...National Eat Cabbage Day and so forth. If we do get a day, should it be pegged to some atheist anniversary or event? if so, what? Carl Sagan's birthday?
Heh, I totally remembered something I wrote in high school. Our English class did practice college entrance essays, and one was "Choose a holiday you'd want implemented." And I said Meteor Impact Day to celebrate the meteor taking out the dinosaurs which paved the way for human evolution.
I hope you got a good grade. And it doesn't matter that we don't know which day it was. I have no doubt that none of the Christian holidays we have are the right day.
Heh, I totally remembered something I wrote in high school. Our English class did practice college entrance essays, and one was "Choose a holiday you'd want implemented." And I said Meteor Impact Day to celebrate the meteor taking out the dinosaurs which paved the way for human evolution.
Reminds me of my most embarrassing moment in High School -- or at least one of the most embarrassing, there are always so many at that age. Every year we were required (as a class assignment in English) to enter an essay in the annual American Legion Essay Contest. The theme my Freshman year was some generic flag-waving theme along the lines of "Why I Love America" and I was so thoroughly disgusted with having to do this yet again that I wrote a total BS parody piece where you could almost hear the patriotic music in the background as you read it. Total jingoistic Ugly American crap.
Then the damn thing won 3rd place at the state level.
I crawled under a rock and refused to be bussed to the state capital to read the thing. It was my first up-close and personal lesson in how utterly out to lunch much of the "my country, right or wrong" nonsense was ...
I don't recall being asked to do that assignment after that year so I don't know if that was a change of teachers or what but I was ready to take an extended vacation or an "F" grade to avoid getting myself into that kind of fix again.
Reminds me of my most embarrassing moment in High School -- or at least one of the most embarrassing, there are always so many at that age. Every year we were required (as a class assignment in English) to enter an essay in the annual American Legion Essay Contest. The theme my Freshman year was some generic flag-waving theme along the lines of "Why I Love America" and I was so thoroughly disgusted with having to do this yet again that I wrote a total BS parody piece where you could almost hear the patriotic music in the background as you read it. Total jingoistic Ugly American crap.
Then the damn thing won 3rd place at the state level.
I crawled under a rock and refused to be bussed to the state capital to read the thing. It was my first up-close and personal lesson in how utterly out to lunch much of the "my country, right or wrong" nonsense was ...
I don't recall being asked to do that assignment after that year so I don't know if that was a change of teachers or what but I was ready to take an extended vacation or an "F" grade to avoid getting myself into that kind of fix again.
That's hilarious! Sorry it was embarrasing for you, but it did take some courage! And you did learn something!
I'd like to say "Good Day" to everyone and pass the word that life and the world aren't always gloom and doom. We live and we grow and we learn, much to mordant's chagrin () --not picking on you, just noting your previous post.
It's raining like the end of the world around here and we have flash flooding warnings everywhere and I feel a little guilty that I love rain so much!
"Rain is good. Snow is better." That's the bumper sticker I wanted to put on my car when I lived in Tidewater, VA. Every day on the news if it was sunny, then it was a good day. If it was going to rain, it was a bad day. NO NO NO!!!
Lovely post Joan. We need a bit of uplifting sometimes around here. I enjoyed Mordants post too.
Coming from the UK I also like a bit of rain (well up to a point, not to flooding levels obviously) and LOVE the snow. So do my kids.
It's most bizarre living where I live now. It is sunny practically every day. I live enough miles from San Francisco that the famous fog doesn't reach us, so its always nice. But you don't necessarily want sun every single day. I miss the cold, the wind, the rain and the snow and the variety. And its very bizarre to witness the leaves falling in autumn yet the weather is still like summer, and we get this eerie orange light with really long shadows. Something to do with the latitude I guess. So yes, embrace the rain. I always think its what gives the planet life.
Mind you my family back home have been complaining that they have had two years bad weather due to an unusual shift in the gulf stream. So I'm not wishing for the rain too badly.
What say you Arequipa? How you holding up with the UK weather?
Lovely post Joan. We need a bit of uplifting sometimes around here. I enjoyed Mordants post too.
Coming from the UK I also like a bit of rain (well up to a point, not to flooding levels obviously) and LOVE the snow. So do my kids.
It's most bizarre living where I live now. It is sunny practically every day. I live enough miles from San Francisco that the famous fog doesn't reach us, so its always nice. But you don't necessarily want sun every single day. I miss the cold, the wind, the rain and the snow and the variety. And its very bizarre to witness the leaves falling in autumn yet the weather is still like summer, and we get this eerie orange light with really long shadows. Something to do with the latitude I guess. So yes, embrace the rain. I always think its what gives the planet life.
Mind you my family back home have been complaining that they have had two years bad weather due to an unusual shift in the gulf stream. So I'm not wishing for the rain too badly.
What say you Arequipa? How you holding up with the UK weather?
Thank you! I agree about too much of a good thing... sunny every day? Not for me!
I have only been in CA a couple of times, but once I was there apparently during a 100-year drought. Those "golden hills" they sing about were really beginning to get depressing, and I was beginning to yearn for rain!
When I lived in the south (various states) we would get drought conditions every once in a while. The last time in NC I thought my trees were going to die. The ground cracked, my inground spa cracked (part of the inground pool) and I was getting ready to sell my house for other reasons. I couldn't get out of there fast enough!
I can see how you would miss the rain as well. Tell me, is it just along the coast of England that gets frequent rain or fog?
edit: oops! I assumed "England" when you said UK. Sorry about that.
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