Our Humanity

I was asked to represent Reno Freethinkers at an interfaith service this evening at the University of Nevada to honor the victims, families and first responders in Newtown, Connecticut. Many faiths were represented tonight (Catholic, Christian (fundamentalist evangelical, mainstream Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Hindu and Baha’i), and me, the non-believer. I appreciated the opportunity. Certainly among the grieving are people like me. It was a moving night, particularly the prayer of mourning sung by the Baha’i celebrant. I didn’t understand the words, but the emotion came right through.

My prepared remarks:

I don’t know who wrote this, but I’d like to share it with you today.

I have seen a mother at a cot – so I know what love is;
I have looked into the eyes of a child – so I know what faith is;
I have seen a rainbow – so I know what beauty is;
I have felt the pounding of the seas – so I know what power is;
I have planted a tree – so I know what hope is;
I have heard a wild bird sing – so I know what freedom is;
I have seen a chrysalis burst into life – so I know what mystery is;
I have lost a friend – so I know what sorrow is;
I have seen a star-decked sky – so I know what infinity is;
I have seen and felt all these things – so I know what life is.

Today we come together in our humanity. Whether we are Believers, Agnostics, or Atheists, we stand here in our humanness and grief. We are drawn together by the need to be close to each other, to collectively honor those no longer with us, and to hold in our hearts those whose hearts and lives have been shattered in a million pieces. We come together today to comfort each other as well.

Centuries ago the Roman philosopher Seneca wrote:

“In the presence of death, we must continue to sing the song of life. We must be able to accept death and go from its presence better able to bear our burdens and to lighten the load of others. Out of our sorrows should come understanding. Through our sorrows, we join with all of those before who have had to suffer and all of those who will yet have to do so. Let us not be gripped by the fear of death. If another day be added to our lives, let us joyfully receive it, but let us not anxiously depend on our tomorrows. Though we grieve the deaths of our loved ones, we accept them and hold on to our memories as precious gifts. Let us make the best of our loved ones while they are with us, and let us not bury our love with death.”

What happened in Newtown is unimaginable, and yet it is real. It happened. As a parent, I cannot imagine it. For those of us with no belief in a comforting god or an afterlife, death does indeed have a sting. For we do not believe we shall see our loved one again; we do not think they have gone to a better place. They are asleep, never to awaken. They have been taken from us.

All we can do is miss them. And remember them. They live on as long as they live in our hearts. All we can do is gather close and love those of us who remain.

This is the bargain we make. We put our hearts out there in love and friendship because the reward is love and friendship in return. And sometimes, because that is just the way life is, our hearts will be broken in ways we will never understand.

I’d like to close with another poem:

When I die, give what is left of me to children.
If you need to cry, cry for your brothers walking beside you.
Put your arms around anyone, and give them what you need to give me.
I want to leave you with something, something better than words or sounds.
Look for me in the people I have known and loved.
And if you cannot live without me, then let me live on in your eyes, your mind and your acts of kindness.
You can love me most by letting hands touch hands and letting go of children that need to be free.
Love does not die, people do.
So when all that is left of me is love…..
Give me away…..

The Infidel Side of the Equation

As president of Reno Freethinkers I’ll be representing the scarlet A at this panel tomorrow night. My opening statement will be a much abbreviated version of two previous posts (here and here).  But I think the first thing the first thing I am going to say is, “I know I’m sitting on an interfaith panel, but I just want to make it clear atheism is not a religion any more than bald is a hair color.”  Even the panel coordinator keeps referring to our “religion.” Sigh. I’ve got much to do between now and tomorrow night!

Make that 8 different faiths and an interloper.

Nevada Day Parade and The Silence

I’ve participated as a Democrat in a number of parades in heavily Republican towns, so I am not unfamiliar with less-than friendly receptions.  The response to the Reno Coalition of Reason’s entry into the 2011 Nevada Day Parade was, shall we say, interesting.

As is the case in most cat-herding scenarios, not everyone made it into the picture, but there were 22 (plus 2 kiddies) of us at yesterday's parade!

Contrary to what some of our members thought would happen, we were not pelted with rotten vegetables or screamed at by anyone in the crowd.

There were a number of people who felt the need to shout out that they were good with god. Um. Yeah. We know.  Did we say anything to the contrary?

Then there was the young ROTC girl who tried to tell us that all good comes from god and if we’d just  .  .  .

One dude shouted out God Bless America!!!!

And then there was the little boy. Couldn’t have been more than four years old, standing out in front of his family.  Somehow this little boy, who likely could not read, knew what our sign meant.  Someone had to have told him, “Those people don’t believe in Jesus.”   Or did they tell him, “Those people don’t love Jesus?”  And so he stood there, in confusion and with the kind of pleading quivering voice that only a three or four-year-old can muster, “Jeeeesuuus…   Jeeesuuus…”   My heart broke for this little guy whose adult caretakers could not just let this little boy enjoy the day.  Gotta wonder about people like that.

Mostly we were met with silence. 

Marching in the parade

Speaking of silence, we’ve let all the local press know about our group.  Atheism and freethought is big news, but the Reno media seems too afraid to even talk to us.  With the exception of Channel 4 who interviewed us on Tuesday,  but never aired it, and KOH who aired it briefly in their news segment, the response has been one very similar to the crowd at the Nevada Day parade.  Uncomfortable silence.

Or confusion.  There appeared to be a number of people who misread our sign (God? Good? Yeah!!!).  One parade goer shouted out, “Reason? What does that mean?”  Seriously, how do you answer a question like that?

But we kept smiling and waving and giving out candy.

We felt some push-back from the various announcers along the route. The first announcer, frankly, was the best in reading our highly inflammatory and in-your-face blurb. 

The Reno Coalition of Reason membership promotes living in the here and now with this walking entry celebrating the 100 ways people can love and experience the wonders of the natural world and the outdoors. Good without God? Millions are. Celebrate the natural world with the Reno Coalition of Reason.

Yeah. What a bunch of radicals! How dare we show up and talk about how beautiful the world is!

Ever the professional (and I assume all announcers at the parade were paid professionals), he read our blurb with the same professionalism he’d given all his other announcements.  The others announcers, with varying degrees,  not so much. The worst offender, in my opinion, was the female announcer whose delivery was flat and rushed as though her full intention was to inform the crowd, Yeah, I have to read this crap, but I don’t have to like it, and I want all of you to know it.  Her every word screamed I cannot put my feelings aside and do the job I was hired to do in a professional and unbiased manner.  (Judge for yourself: Video link)

This is not to say the day was a failure or a downer. Far from it.

By stepping out of the shadows, we let other like-minded folks in the crowd know they aren’t alone. And yes, our people were there too.  There were waves and nods and smiles from more than a handful of people.  A few enthusiastic hurrahs, some fist pumps, etc.  Of particular interest to us were the timid waves, the “down-low” thumbs up. Yeah, we understand. Just glad we could let you know you’ve got a safe place to go if you ever want to join us.

Post-Parade. We did it! Reference aforementioned cat-herding.

And yeah, we’re already planning our entry for next year.  More cohesive clothing, a float perhaps?  

We’re not going away, and we’re growing.

Check us out. 

Reno Coalition of Reason

Reno Freethinkers (Facebook) 

Reno Freethinkers (Meetup)