Everyone deserves to celebrate who and what they are on the days that mean the most to them. I became aware of humanism and its core values after witnessing many humanist ceremonies. I felt my skill-set would lend itself to training as a celebrant but I wanted to be sure that I would inhabit the characteristics of a humanist belief system.
After working with a couple of different organisations, I am now residing with Humanism in Scotland. The fundamental core values of humanism echoes with the essence of my own character and how I approach life. There are many definitions of humanism and some have evolved over the years. The roots of its ethical and moral code are present in ancient Greek and Chinese philosophy and more so flourished during the Italian renaissance. There is a view that it is seen as ‘anti-religious’. Absolutely not! It is secular, but Humanism is about: inclusion, celebrating what makes us different, welcoming diversity, equality, carrying concern for others, displaying empathy, and generally just being all round ‘guid eggs’!
The Amsterdam declaration of 2002 is worth checking out as it details the principles of humanism in but ultimately, we follow the golden rule ‘treat other people as you would like them to treat you’.
Natalie Stevenson 