For me, here on Long Island, given recent events in our own corner of the world, there is a deeper sense of connection to the loss and pain in the Moore community.  We, too, in the aftermath of Sandy, have recently seen homes destroyed, vehicles tossed into ragged piles, services suspended.   And, we too, after the shootings in Newtown, have shared tears for families who have experienced the cruel loss of children.

The photos and video from Moore track the work of first responders and concerned neighbors, rushing in to rescue the trapped, bring order back into chaos, comfort the bereaved.  There is no fix for the loss of loved ones and the bewildering dislocation of such destruction, there is only the balm of community.  As we ourselves experienced in the long aftermath of Sandy and Newton, when nothing can help, only community can help.

As Ethical Humanists, we center our faith in that community, in human community.  We don’t believe that a tornado or a hurricane, or even a deranged gunman, is an act of god, either punitive or indifferent.  Tornados and hurricanes are weather events, and while we do not know when the next event will occur, we do know there will be a next event, or a next tragedy.  My response to that knowledge is to value those human communities and institutions which provide us with the wherewithal to meet such challenges.  Communities and institutions that work to deepen our capacity for empathy, compassion, resiliency, fortitude and generosity; those human strengths that equip us to help.

There will be opportunities to contribute to the Moore recovery, and I hope you will do what you can.  And I want to remind us that the recovery in our own communities, here on Long Island, is far from complete.  Experience in disaster relief teaches that after the event, after the attention, after the first and second and even third  wave of disaster relief, after the camera lights are turned off, there comes a long, long period of recovery when the road back is still long and difficult, when those who have born the greatest losses feel forgotten and adrift.  This will be true in Moore, it is true here on Long Island.

There is always an opportunity to help.

Footnote: As it happens, this coming Sunday one of our EHS members, Judy Rosemarin, will be speaking from her experience during Superstorm Sandy, when the storm surge overtook her building in Long Beach. I hope you can join us.

Read the article here: http://nydn.us/YVph0Z

The explosion of terrorist bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line this April 15th is such an event.  Beyond the horror of the day, the painful losses, the outpouring of sympathy and support, some things have come to light which we have not really seen or understood before.  On the positive side, I observed a welcome level of sophistication in the response and aftermath of the event.  The responders, the bystanders, the hospital personnel, the public, law enforcement acted effectively and well.  And, despite some glaring exceptions in misinformation and jumping to conclusions, so did the press.  That we are better at this reflects a sad fact: we’ve seen too many tragedies in the last few years, endured too much violence.  But that fact that we are better at this is commendable.  No violent backlash, no rush to conclusions, no racist or ethnic demagoguery, there seems a maturity in our response that we have not seen before.

A less welcome reality that has been raised into view for us is the uneasy position of humanist and secular communities in the wider community of faith.  This was highlighted by the exclusion of the humanist faith community from the interfaith memorial event, “Healing Our City”, which was attended by President Obama.  Members of the Boston area Humanist community were severely injured in the attack, the humanist community contributed generously to the the relief efforts and held a memorial service themselves.  But efforts to reach out and be included in the memorial event were…. well, spurned is probably as good a word as any.

Greg Epstein, the established Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, found the organizers unresponsive to his overtures.  His requests to have the humanist and secular communities represented  along with the representatives from the Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim faiths were repeatedly denied.  Or ignored.  Epstein noted that: “We weren’t asking to speak and would have been more than content with simply an invitation to sit in an official capacity or have the non-theistic community mentioned, as we have been recognized in other instances by President Obama.”

So here is what we learned: despite some positive trends and the encouraging public recognition by President Obama of the category nonbelievers in recent years, humanist, atheist, secular & other sorts of nonbelievers have no place in the public marketplace.  This is discouraging, though there is a positive side: ten years ago twenty years ago, fifty years ago?   We wouldn’t even have imagined asking to be included!

Now, there is a lot of pain in this rejection.  If you are so inclined, you can add your voice to the protests being lodged though the American Humanist Association website: aha@americanhumanist.org.  And, you can read more of the story at: http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/7054/no_room_for_non_theists_at_boston_interfaith_service_/

For Ethical Humanists, the good news is that we are making progress, the discouraging news is that progress slow.  We can point to some of the weaknesses in our position: the lack of a common identity in the atheist-humanist-secular-reason-based-non-theistic-non-believing community; our sometimes weak institutions, that we sometimes seem more inclined to fall out over vocabulary than unite for action,  and that we are too often represented by angry anti-religious voices.

There is no quick fix, but our position in the public sphere can improve, and will only improve as we, as Ethical Humanists, take ourselves and our tradition seriously, and continue to create and sustain communities that live out our best ideals: communities where people can find a spiritual home that encourages and inspires, where we reach out into the world to make our communities safer, fairer, more equitable, more just.  And where we become known for living the values we espouse.

In the long run, the path to be taken seriously in the world will be the path of taking our own lives, our own values, our own communities seriously.

These misguided and despicable  young men have wrought damage  beyond, it would seem, their own powers of imagination.  The immediate carnage, of course.  The senseless deaths and the families that will never again be whole.  The wounded & maimed, whose lives, in a nanosecond, have been irrevocably altered.  What kind of human beings are these, who desire suffering as their legacy?

As for damage to the Boston Marathon, the city of Boston, the United States, the people of good will through out the world?  These acts have done only passing harm.  We emerge from this with a firmer commitment to all that is true and good, to the best hopes for humanity.  As we have seen again and again, for every twisted individual who seeks to wreck havoc and pain, there are a million that will rush into harm’s way to rescue, to help, to heal.

The greatest damage, and my greatest sorrow, is the damage that these brothers have inflicted on those they imagined they defend.  They have exposed to further harm the greater  Muslim community and the many hopeful immigrants who seek to make a new life in what is still one of the world’d great promised lands, these United States.  I so fear a backlash!  That these two, who were welcomed and encouraged and saw some success, should take this dark path, has put at risk so many others who come to our shores seeking a decent life.  Their actions were criminal, of course.  And their intentions were heinous. But their disregard of their own families and communities is shameful.

Our kids and adult volunteers did a fantastic job prepping the bikes for shipment to developing countries for Pedals for Progress. Thanks to all!

Older adults face unique obstacles in today’s technology dependent world.  Physical and psychological barriers create a digital divide that threatens to leave them behind as more programs and services move online. However, using computers and other digital tools has been shown to have tremendous health benefits, in addition to practical ones.

Next time you’re in Manhattan, check out Senior Planet at 127 W. 25th Street in Chelsea, or go to seniorplanet.org to learn more.

Click here to listen to Liz’s report. It will also be available online at WBAI.org until mid-June. [select HealthStyles in the drop-down menu]

Liz will be a regular contributor to HealthStyles, so stay tuned!

Fundraiser for the Ethical Humanist Society of LI

Tap Dancing for People with Two Left Feet

This fundraising event promises to be a blast (maybe even from your past). Renowned (and super fun) tap teacher, Louise Rastu, of “The Red Hot Mamas” fame, will teach a beginners tap class.

You don’t have to have ever tapped before to enjoy this class. No pressure for perfection – just for the fun of it!

There will be some tap shoes available in limited sizes but any soft shoes will do (no sneakers for they will stick to the floor). Wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to have a tappin’ good time.

Water and healthy snacks will be available to keep energy high. Appropriate for men & women of all ages

For questions or to sign up, please contact Alice Sprintzen at  516-364-2178 or EHSLI office at 516-741-7304

DATE:  Friday, April 19th

TIME: 10:30 AM

PLACE:  Jan Martin Dance, 27 Adams Ct,. Plainview (Exact directions will be furnished)

LIMIT:     20 people

DONATION:  $18

The media have loved it: great visuals, conflict, competition, picturesque  rituals (the white smoke), the chance to handicap a horse race.   Some have criticized  the media for the focus  on the horse race and the jostling for power and the expense of more spiritual qualifications, but really, when has the election of a pope been anything but a realignment of the  power blocks of the Roman church?  It always seems to me like the shifting of tectonic plates in an earthquake: great masses push against each other and the landscape is adjusted.  In this case, power has shifted to the Southern Hemisphere where the majority of the Catholic faithful are now to be found.

My confusion, though, is trying to decide what to hope for.  I wish nothing but the best for all those who find a spiritual home within the Catholic fold. Or any fold, for that matter.  I am not anti-religious, I am a firm believer in the power of religion to help people live better lives.   I wish everyone the best.  But, I am also a believer in freedom, democracy, science and the use of reason in all corners of our lives.  Including religion.

And, I am adamantly opposed to discrimination based on gender and sexual preference, hierarchical structures that lack accountability, coercion in matters of conscience,  excessive wealth, attempts to foist moral positions off as law, the shielding of sexual predators.  All of which, let’s face it, happens.

Roy Speckhardt, the Executive Director of the American Humanist Association, has taken the position that the election of a new pope is offers a win win situation for humanists: a new pope who becomes a modernizing force with respect for science and an intolerance for discrimination would move the church closer to the values we espouse while a conservative traditionalist will accelerate a trend already underway, the falling away of the faithful and a strengthening of humanist thought and presence in the world.

I’m not so sure.  I yearn for a movement forward, for an advance of science, reason and tolerance. But, I am not hopeful.  This is an election by a group of men who are the survivors of a twenty year purge of liberal and progressive elements.  And, this is one of a handful of bureaucracies in the world where a 76 year old would be considered a new face.  None of those bureaucracies would be considered progressive.

Still, I wish them the best.  Religions everywhere have the task of helping people to be their best selves, to lead lives of meaning and substance, to help to heal the world.  In this we are united, as for the rest, we need to keep our own communities vital and to make sure our voices are heard.

Tune in to WBAI FM, 99.5 in NYC to catch Healthstyles Thursday, March 14 11:00 PM to 11:30 PM

EHSLI member and Senior Fellow Liz Seegert launches a new segment, HealthCetera, on HealthStyles radio.

Older adults face unique obstacles in today’s technology dependent world.  Not only must they contend with vision, hearing, and other physical limitations, but for many, there are also psychological barriers to overcome. However, learning to use computers and other digital tools has been shown to have tremendous health benefits, in addition to practical ones.

Liz Seegert reports on the country’s first technology focused learning center, just for seniors, to help them bridge the digital divide. Senior Planet Exploration Center is located at 127 West 25th Street, in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.

So tune in Thursday, March 14 to WBAI, 99.5 FM (www.wbai.org) at 11:00 PM.

Healthstyles is sponsored by the Center for Health, Media & Policy at Hunter College, City University of New York.

the show is live-streamed online too!