"It's all chaos. Be kind." The central message of humanism, about as concise as it can be put. Beyond mere atheism, I do believe it is up to us to figure out what we want to be our guiding principles in life. Secular humanism makes some great suggestions in that department. What do you think?
[patheos.com]
It has the ring of Newageatheism. It seems rich in feels and low in wit.
Kindness, In its place is a wonderful and necessary component of our social existence. Fortunately, it is not the only tool in our kit. Mythologizing Chaos and Kindness into primal forces does not seem "kind" in the long run.
I do think that the telling of stories with humor and pathos is important to make the listeners feel the importance of kindness and other virtues. Feeling is learning for the irrational elements of ourselves. We retain this learning "deeply", which is another way of saying, beyond our immediate conscious and rational examination.
I have to differ with "all is chaos" as well. Though there may be more than one lighthouse to steer by, there is indeed a light.
Re: "It has a ring of Newageism to it..." ...hmm...""though there may be more than one lighthouse to steer by [agreed], there is indeed a light." THAT sounds pretty new-age-y to me.
@MikeInBatonRouge Nope. I typed what I meant. New agy atheism. There are quite a few out there that would profess that there is no god and still adhere to some rather specious, woo claims. It appeals to those that want some "magic" to be in the world.
I think that is over-analysis. I saw no "mythologizing" of chaos or kindness; simply a straightforward message. THAT isn't new age, at least not in my book. The world is certainly replete with woo. But that doesn't mean that every reference to values is such.
@MikeInBatonRouge Opinions will vary. You are free to make your own comment on the op.
I think 'Be Kind' is a good rule to live by. When all else fails, be kind. Anyone can be crappy as we see so often in the world.