At home we are fostering two kittens for the Humane Society for a couple weeks while they recover from colds. One kitten is healing quickly, eating well, boldly jumping around, and growing rapidly. The other one is not doing so well and is smaller, weak, not eating, and generally fearful.

Here’s the thing. Even though I know that the big strong one is the female and the little weak one is the male, I can’t seem to stop referring to the big one as “he” and the littler one as “she.” I think it’s not only due to their relative sizes and attitudes, but because the smaller one has lighter and more delicate coloring.

Little things like this remind me that although I was raised as a feminist and am lucky enough to live for the most part in an egalitarian environment, there are still prejudices in my head that are hard to root out. Do you ever notice yourself making similar assumptions?

The Huffington Post web site has a commentary by an Ethical Culture member who suggests that politicians be judged by their ethics, not by traditional religious labels. Interestingly, though, the writer refers to Ethical Culture as a “secular group.” As I’ll be talking about this Sunday, Ethical Culture is humanist but also a religion, a concept that is clearly confusing for many people, including some of our own members. How can one have a religion that is wholly this-worldly? Why should one bother? Come this Sunday at 11am and I’ll try to address these and other questions related to the similarities and differences between Ethical Culture and secular humanism.

Hi everyone. It’s good to be back. I had a great time visiting family and friends in New York, and a great time teaching in NC at the AEU Lay Leadership Summer School. Overall, a great summer.

I wish I had something great to blog about. Does greatly appalling count? Governor Nixon failed to veto a law that, beginning next week, introduces new roadblocks to women trying to have a safe and legal abortion. Most outrageously, every woman in Missouri having an abortion must be given by her doctor a pamphlet including the phrase “The life of each human being begins at conception. Abortion will terminate the life of a separate, unique, living human being.” Yes, our elected officials think they can legislate the meaning of life, a question that has heretofore eluded minds exponentially greater than theirs.

Such a crass show of power to force one religious view on all citizens is ugly enough. Uglier is the ignorance that such a definition of life is a religious opinion, merely one among many, and therefore a violation of religious liberty and the Constitution. Governor Nixon at least should know better. I invite you to remind him.

Hopefully next week I’ll have something truly great to blog about.

I’ll be taking a summer break from blogging while I’m on vacation and teaching at the American Ethical Union Lay Leadership Summer School.

Perhaps it is part of my impending fuddy-duddiness now that I’m 40, but more and more I feel that it’s crucial to find real blocks of unconnected time, undistracted as much as possible by phones, the Internet, yes, even NPR. To take the time to experience where I am and who and what’s right there around me. To let the compost in my mind break down at a more natural pace.

So that’s part of what I’ll be doing for the summer, along with teaching and visiting family. I hope you all get some time to do the same. We can all blog about the experience later

I’ll be back in mid-August.

Been traveling a lot lately, last week to the American Ethical Union Assembly. Some good information on building strong Ethical Societies, as well as a pretty good drag show.

The most inspiring event, however, was a talk by a representative from Fonkoze, a micro-finance bank in Haiti run by and for the “organized poor.” Fonkoze has helped hundreds of women and their families move from near-starvation to self-sufficiency and self-respect through business training, loans, and job creation. Like everyone in Haiti, they were devastated by the earthquake; several of their employees were killed and several branches destroyed. But they were back in business quickly, moving their desks out into the street when necessary. A terrific organization changing the lives of the poorest of the poor. If you are interested in helping Haiti, I recommend you support Fonkoze.

I just got back from the annual conference of the American Humanist Association, where among a bunch of interesting speakers, Bill Nye the Science Guy gave a great speech. Nye is a popular science educator, and the audience was asking him, basically, how to convince people who don’t believe in science that they’re wrong. Nye gave a wonderful answer, which is not to argue with people, but to share the “PB&J”–the Passion, Beauty, and Joy of science and our exploration and experience of reality.

I love this. I also love PB&J sandwiches, so maybe that’s part of it. But too often we fall into the trap of trying to force others to see our point of view, or we think that by insulting them we can shame them into opening their minds. People don’t work that way; they just become defensive when they feel pressured or attacked.

Sharing the Passion, Beauty, and Joy of science, nature, art, and ethical humanism sounds like not only a more effective way of spreading knowledge and ideals, but a much more enjoyable way. So remember PB&J next time you’re tempted to get into an argument with someone.

Also, Nye has a new show called “Stuff Happens” that uses science to depict the environmental effects of our consumer choices. Check out this short piece on how eating beef contributes significantly to climate change.

I think we now have 7 copies of No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process (whew) circulating among Society members and visitors. Whether you’ve read it yet or not, consider going to hear the author, Colin Beavan, speak at the Schlafly Library on Euclid, Monday June 7 at 7 pm.

Alas, at that time I will be ruining my smallish-impact lifestyle by flying back from California, where I’m going this weekend to attend the American Humanist Association annual conference and to speak at the new Ethical Culture Society of Silicon Valley. I’m sure it’ll be a great trip, but I’m sorry to miss Beavan, as his book has been inspiring to me. Hope some of you can go and express our appreciation.

Last Saturday the Ethical Circle I’ve been facilitating did our yearly social action project, spending a morning helping out at Food Outreach. This organization prepares, packages, and provides nutritious food to needy folks with HIV, AIDS, or cancer. We packaged individual portions of veggie lasagna and salmon with dill sauce, both of which looked delicious.

I’d like to recommend Food Outreach, not only as a great organization deserving of support, but as the best-organized volunteer opportunity I’ve seen in a long time. It was easy work, fun to talk with other volunteers, and overall a pleasant and inspiring environment. There are different tasks to help out with practically every day of the week, whether you’re an individual or a group. You can read more about their mission and how to contact them on their web site.

The makers of a documentary-in-progress titled Skipping Sunday School are looking for parents and/or kids who would like to share their stories and experiences of growing up in nontheistic families. The Ethical Society, of course, has a Sunday School, but not the type referred to in the documeantary title, I’m guessing.

If you’re interested in this project or helping out with it, see their web site.

Recently I signed up with the Humane Society of Missouri as a volunteer foster parent. Animals usually need fostering because they are too young to be spayed or neutered yet (the Humane Society will not let an animal be adopted that is not spayed or neutered–great policy), because they are getting over an illness or injury, or just when the shelter desperately needs more room.

We are a few days into our first, 10-day foster. Nathan is a 3-month-old golden lab-mix puppy on antibiotics for an infection. I haven’t had to take care of an animal full time for many years, and especially not a puppy. It’s a very time-consuming, often frustrating experience. But he’s so incredibly beautiful and loving that it’s worth getting chewed on and having to clean up a lot of “accidents.” For instance, as I write this post he is (finally) sleeping with his head on my foot

The Humane Society asks foster parents to commit to at least 2 fosters a year (and they provide all the food and equipment you need so that anyone can afford to foster). I’m sure that after a rest for us, the house, and the garden we’ll be ready for another one in a few months. Preferably a puppy that isn’t teething yet, or an old mellow cat or dog.

If you’re interested in finding out more about fostering or other volunteer opportunities to help the Humane Society, see their web site.