This always made sense to me:
“Being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
Sounds like the best def I've ever heard of it. Kurt was the man. I still miss him..
Love Kurt Vonnegut, one of the best at sarcasm.
Expectation of anything whatsoever after you are dead is just dumb.
There should also be no expectations of reward while you are alive. Too many 'humanists' do things because it makes them feel good and doesn't upset their cognitive dissonance. One thing we often forget about being human is that we have a sense of reason and really need to use it more than we do.
I don't expect any rewards from others while I'm alive and so far I sure haven't gotten any. The reason I do good things is because it seems the right things to do and I get satisfaction from it. I really don't give a fuck if others approve or not..
@TomMcGiverin I fully understand and often find myself in hot water because of some of the things I believe. Being an older male only makes matters worse.
Kurt was pretty well convinced that america was a totally Fcked country with no hope for redemption by the time he died.
Slaughterhouse 5
should be required reading in HS but i doubt if it is & i doubt if many americans are even aware of it.
I already agree with him on that, but with each year I agree more.
I read SlaughterHouse 5 as required reading and two of my kids did as well. So for at least 40 years it HAS been required reading in at least parts of 2 states.
I taught it for a while. One of my favorites - inspired me when a teen. I have read all his stuff, even the works not as widely praised. As a human, he was a good man from all accounts, except his own. Very interesting take on his own life.
That's it exactly, but most have trouble understanding this