I'm a humanist. I believe in my fellow man. This is sometimes more difficult in practice than in principle. But I like a challenge. First and foremost though I recognize that I'm a member of homo sapiens. I have evolved.
I believe that religious and political identifications split us as opposed to unite us. Once we've seen the planet from space we should realize that we're all in the same lifeboat and either we all row together or we row apart, inevitably onto the rocks. In unfettered capitalism with its emphasis on competition and the rugged individual we certainly row apart.
In cleavages caused by religion or income inequality we row apart. Growing up we're taught to suppress our egos in order to better function in society - to be civilized.
Yet many of our cherished institutions emphasize splitting the human race into competitive factions. Time for a rethink.
If evil exists it resides in the individual or individual worship, a psychopathic leaning. Hero worshiping emphasizes the individual. Nothing wrong with being inspired by leaders that emphasize the humanity in us but God help us if we admire those that emphasize only the individual.
In a Capitalistic society for example, where all boats rise with the rising tide of individual wealth, the problem is that some boats are yachts that swamp the rowboats. It doesn't recognize we're all ultimately in the same boat together.
Humanist don't generally leave it to God to solve our problems. For many, God is an individual, and like the Devil, acts as one. Most joy and productivity, like in sex, occurs with the merging of more than one. Homo sapiens are social animals and to become human we must unite and take joy in our success as a united group.
When you primarily identify yourself as a particular race or group, First Nations, Christian, Jew, Islamic, WASP, Conservative, Liberal, Democrat etc. you divide yourself away from the collective (humans that we are) and make yourself more of an individual. That may have been desirable, even necessary in the past, but a recipe for disaster in the present.
