I can make it short and sweet by just giving you this: Humanism and Its Aspirations: Humanist Manifesto III, a Successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933 - American Humanist Association
I also suggest reading Humanism: Beliefs and Practices, by Jeaneane Fowler. Her book will also help to answer some of your questions. Humanism: Beliefs Practices by Jeaneane D. Fowler | Goodreads There are also some other very good books on humanism out there too, such as the Philosophy of Humanism by Corliss Lamont.
Or I can give you a long detailed response of my own POV as many are doing, but I will highlight and expand on this post of the Humanist Manifesto III: “Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change.” Because, for me, once you understand this, everything else of the manifesto falls into place, including the science and emotional/spiritual labels used, which includes the use of some Native American phrases. After that, for me, the ethical, scientific, life fulfillment, social relationships, and individual happiness falls into place. I can run the whole gambit of humanistic labels- naturalistic humanist, spiritual humanists, ethical humanist, etc. Basically and simply a humanist.
I don’t actually consider death being the end exactly. I’m a vegetarian and despite not promising one a rose garden, life is a rose garden, thorns and all. Upon death, our bodies give back to the earth what we took from it. First, I guess I should start off with I agree with Neil deGrasse Tyson in that we are all star stuff- everything in the universe, especially what is here on earth, is within us. The Earth gives us nourishment, even though we have to work for it, and when we die, our bodies give all of that back in the form of food for various creatures, mostly creepy crawly ones. One also lives on in the hearts and minds of the living too, which is a totally different thought than the physical part of the “worms go in and the worms go out”, but there is both of those things, in which one metaphorically perpetuates the cycle of life. As human beings, we remember and hopefully honour our ancestors. However, our ancestors are not our only relations, we have to consider the living too.
As for the rose garden, it is a metaphor for life, which is beautiful, yet it does have thorns. That said, I also believe that we not only need to cherish the one and only life we have, living it to its fullest, but I think we need to take care of the earth and all other species on this planet too. Everything, not just time, is circular and linear, which is not just the life cycle. Our actions while we are alive affects more people than just ourselves.
As for a militant stance, I hate to break it to you, but not all atheists have a militant stance. As long as someone doesn’t impose their views on me, I’m fine. I have come to appreciate the views of the Roddenberrys. Gene created the idea of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) and even threw in some of his humanistic views into his creation of Star Trek. However, I do not like racism, xenophobia, or any other form of discrimination. If you have read any of the more recent threads, I have railed against the dotard for his actions of having peaceful protesters gassed and dragging an Episcopal priest out of the Church, just so he can have a stupid and lame photo opt. His actions affect millions, but hopefully, in the near future it will come back on him- losing the election and hopefully prison time for his crimes against humanity, of which that was one example.
Of course there is that other question that comes up, in which one basically asks why I’m a vegetarian. It not only goes back to taking care of everything on earth, but I feel a kinship with other animals and the earth, which I guess if one wanted to call that being spiritual, as in “spiritual humanism”, I wouldn’t be offended. One of my first experiences of feeling transcendence was in relationship with one of my pets as a child. However, that isn’t a deity, but rather a feeling of oneness. It is a feeling, a chemical reaction in the brain, which was triggered by external stimuli, but that doesn’t take away from feeling of kinship or as the Native Americans say, “all my relations”. You cannot eat your relative and in a sense, we are genetically related to other animals on this planet. We are genetically 98-99% similar to chimpanzees, specifically the bonobo, making him figuratively, my brother. Thus, why we humans need to take care of the earth and all the animals on the planet, much like the Water Protectors, Jane Goodall, or Jane Fonda/Greenpeace do, and if that is militancy, then so be it.
I think Tyson said it better in his video, when he said the feelings he has about the universe are the very same feelings religious people have, which is the same thing I have with other animals, the earth, and the universe. Tyson and I have the same emotions. Sadly, the only words we have, in language, are those often used by the religious, but the same areas of the brain light up for us as those experience awe with what they label “God” or when they are worshipping. It’s just our external stimuli is different. Our stimuli isn’t music, a preacher, candles, or prayers, but rather science, nature, animals, and the universe.
