Why the Humanist Guild


Finding a hook to hang ideas for a more focused version of Humanism, on gives the possibility of collecting ideas from like-minded people and perhaps put something more practical together.  Of course there is the possibility that someone will point the way to a group that has already found the answers and direction that these posts are working towards.  In which case this is a moot point...

 Names like Brighter Culture and Ethical Living sprang to mind, but this is not the invention of something new, I'm no genius or expert on the subject.  So perhaps a title claiming this doesn't fit.  Gymnasium implies training and improvement and once had an academic implication.  Guild implies trades and artisans, standardisation and training.  Unions have a similar association but often for professions.  As living is a practical affair involving all walks of life Guild seems to fit.  So for the moment its Humanist Guild, that is until something better comes along.

Life is serious, you get one shot and so does everyone else.  There is no supernatural deity to fix things for us no final compensation if things go wrong.  Relaxing should be serious, having fun should be serious, ethics should be serious, not taking things to seriously should be serious.  That is to say if one wants to chill one should, but it shouldn’t be regretted later.

One could even consider looking at it as if one is taking a professional perspective on life.  After all if work is worth being professional about and life is more important that work…

Using a word like Guild is intended to give a sense of willingness to learn, to change, to develop.  But also to be part of something and help others do the same, while working towards larger goals.

If we are going to improve the world around us we needs skills that will allow us to promote, organise, educate and get things done.

We need to be happier so we can be more productive.  We need to help other people to be happier, so they can be more productive and more ethical.

We need to identify our objectives and then the skills to achieve them and how to attain these skills.

It's a search for how to get a better idea of what is "good", and how to be "good".

This is what I am looking for, and for now will hang on the hook labelled Humanist Guild.  I hope to find others willing to do the same, and provide some ideas below.

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