Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing this. The more of us who have come to our senses and who will speak out about it will help others who are secretly harboring the same fears/concerns
Before I was born my Dad worked on the construction of a nuclear power plant that was never completed. This was at least partly because of the intense protest by Greenpeace at the site and all around the country at the time.
Instead of a clean contained nuclear power plant, we were left with the coal fired power plant that peppered everything within 30 miles with yellow and white ash and spewed heavy radioactive metals into the air.
They've buried 60 years worth of the fly ash on the banks of the Ohio river, making the land completely toxic and unusable for the forseable future, not to mention the water. It's a few hundred feet from a State park.
I've never forgiven Greenpeace for that, they came here, spewed their nonsense and then left. They should have had to spend their childhood breathing yellow ash and heavy metals...
Same same! That's what I thought at the end of the article. It's not that hard to appreciate both humanity as well as technological progress, they need each other. Nice article.
I tried the Humanists briefly but they seemed to be primarily an anti-religious campaign group for people who had bad experiences of religion as children, which was not what I was looking for. Maybe I was just unlucky with my local branch!
Sorry to hear that. I think there are various iterations. I'm a Patron of Humanists UK, who are a tolerant and critical thinking bunch. I believe local groups self organise.
Rather than shop around for another more simpatico cult, why not just think for yourself? Of course, this requires a lot of work, reading from the most reliable sources, understanding the arguments and counter-arguments, doubting every hidden assumption, etc. But it's the only way your opinions will ever be your own.
I think you've missed the point. As I mention in the opening paragraph, people are tribal and need communities. I am an something of an outlier, having joined and left multiple groups precisely because I don't actually need them, but the reality is that most people do. Without the option of joining tolerant groups that allow critical thinking, people will stay in their existing communities, many of which are religious, but I would argue that the rise of climate activist groups also point to this need for community. I hope therefore that better communities can evolve to fill the void, just as humanism is doing for many non- or ex-religious people (and in fact, they also work with and support people who have left religious cults). Hope that makes sense.
I understand. People are indeed tribal and have a deep need to "belong", hence the prevalence of "identity politics". It is possible that I am just a flawed human with a pathological resistance to "joining", but I can't help noting that throughout history the tribal impulse has accounted for billions of murders of members of one tribe by members of another. Would a world where no one claimed kinship with anyone else be so awful? It would at least make it more difficult for fascists to make up collective caricatures to scare people with. I hope you find a tolerant group that "allows" critical thinking, and I hope it doesn't disappoint you in the long run. It seems to me that there are fundamental inter-group interactions that drive all groups to grow more intolerant over time.
I honestly wish you the best of luck. But please remain vigilant.
If this piece is not “thinking for yourself,” you’ll never recognize that attribute. This is a wonderful example of critical thinking. To look at the world differently when something does not feel right, when you start to think differently from everyone you’ve ever known, or everything you’ve ever learned, and to take new information in and change your mind in the face of aggressive opposition,is the epitome of a human being functioning at their highest potential. To identify with others who have arrived where you are in life is not looking for a simpatico cult, it’s being human. There is no doubt the opinions expressed in this heartfelt post have been well earned.
You misunderstand my comment. The bulk of the posting was "right on", if I may use an ironic term; I was addressing the last 2 paragraphs that seemed to propose Humanists as a replacement for Hippies. Joining a new group of like-minded people and strongly identifying with same is never a step toward independent thought. "Being human" does not elicit the blanket approval it once did -- at least not from me.
You addressed your criticism in your first sentence. It was the emphasis of your post. Your post struck me as passive / aggressive. A bit of an online bully.
In my humble opinion, climate change activism and secular humanism resemble cult behaviors.
The human rights and anti war movement of the hippies were abducted by Democrat politicians in the late 60's. Musicians were the draw to most demonstrations. Bob Dylan saw this happening and wrote "My Back Pages" as his resignation as a leader of a movement gone astray....spoiled by a lust for "empowerment".
I find that the nearest thing to a non-cult Philosophy/Religious vision is Pantheism.
Aside from that, your article was appealing and well taken.
Difficult to read, I was there, but then asked for the science and the data.
Good article. Good for you that you escaped the cult.
Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing this. The more of us who have come to our senses and who will speak out about it will help others who are secretly harboring the same fears/concerns
Excellent article :)
When I hear Greenpeace I always think of this;
Before I was born my Dad worked on the construction of a nuclear power plant that was never completed. This was at least partly because of the intense protest by Greenpeace at the site and all around the country at the time.
Instead of a clean contained nuclear power plant, we were left with the coal fired power plant that peppered everything within 30 miles with yellow and white ash and spewed heavy radioactive metals into the air.
They've buried 60 years worth of the fly ash on the banks of the Ohio river, making the land completely toxic and unusable for the forseable future, not to mention the water. It's a few hundred feet from a State park.
I've never forgiven Greenpeace for that, they came here, spewed their nonsense and then left. They should have had to spend their childhood breathing yellow ash and heavy metals...
Same same! That's what I thought at the end of the article. It's not that hard to appreciate both humanity as well as technological progress, they need each other. Nice article.
I tried the Humanists briefly but they seemed to be primarily an anti-religious campaign group for people who had bad experiences of religion as children, which was not what I was looking for. Maybe I was just unlucky with my local branch!
Sorry to hear that. I think there are various iterations. I'm a Patron of Humanists UK, who are a tolerant and critical thinking bunch. I believe local groups self organise.
Rather than shop around for another more simpatico cult, why not just think for yourself? Of course, this requires a lot of work, reading from the most reliable sources, understanding the arguments and counter-arguments, doubting every hidden assumption, etc. But it's the only way your opinions will ever be your own.
I think you've missed the point. As I mention in the opening paragraph, people are tribal and need communities. I am an something of an outlier, having joined and left multiple groups precisely because I don't actually need them, but the reality is that most people do. Without the option of joining tolerant groups that allow critical thinking, people will stay in their existing communities, many of which are religious, but I would argue that the rise of climate activist groups also point to this need for community. I hope therefore that better communities can evolve to fill the void, just as humanism is doing for many non- or ex-religious people (and in fact, they also work with and support people who have left religious cults). Hope that makes sense.
I understand. People are indeed tribal and have a deep need to "belong", hence the prevalence of "identity politics". It is possible that I am just a flawed human with a pathological resistance to "joining", but I can't help noting that throughout history the tribal impulse has accounted for billions of murders of members of one tribe by members of another. Would a world where no one claimed kinship with anyone else be so awful? It would at least make it more difficult for fascists to make up collective caricatures to scare people with. I hope you find a tolerant group that "allows" critical thinking, and I hope it doesn't disappoint you in the long run. It seems to me that there are fundamental inter-group interactions that drive all groups to grow more intolerant over time.
I honestly wish you the best of luck. But please remain vigilant.
If this piece is not “thinking for yourself,” you’ll never recognize that attribute. This is a wonderful example of critical thinking. To look at the world differently when something does not feel right, when you start to think differently from everyone you’ve ever known, or everything you’ve ever learned, and to take new information in and change your mind in the face of aggressive opposition,is the epitome of a human being functioning at their highest potential. To identify with others who have arrived where you are in life is not looking for a simpatico cult, it’s being human. There is no doubt the opinions expressed in this heartfelt post have been well earned.
You misunderstand my comment. The bulk of the posting was "right on", if I may use an ironic term; I was addressing the last 2 paragraphs that seemed to propose Humanists as a replacement for Hippies. Joining a new group of like-minded people and strongly identifying with same is never a step toward independent thought. "Being human" does not elicit the blanket approval it once did -- at least not from me.
You addressed your criticism in your first sentence. It was the emphasis of your post. Your post struck me as passive / aggressive. A bit of an online bully.
But indeed, that is what the Humanist does. Go backand read the very early Humanist roots.
Ah pantheism. Albert Einstein
In my humble opinion, climate change activism and secular humanism resemble cult behaviors.
The human rights and anti war movement of the hippies were abducted by Democrat politicians in the late 60's. Musicians were the draw to most demonstrations. Bob Dylan saw this happening and wrote "My Back Pages" as his resignation as a leader of a movement gone astray....spoiled by a lust for "empowerment".
I find that the nearest thing to a non-cult Philosophy/Religious vision is Pantheism.
Aside from that, your article was appealing and well taken.