Leader’s Blog
The Spirit of Play
Our "ethics matters" theme for June has been "play," although I think of that more as an over-arching theme for June, July, and August. Like other mammals, we play when we are young -- and sometimes when we are not so young. What are you doing to keep the spirit of...
Doing Our Part for Democracy
Democracy means rule of the people, where a majority can take action, while protecting the rights of vulnerable minorities. But democracy doesn't work if the people don't speak up. There's another election coming up this month in New York City. I urge you, if you...
The Story of Love
I've been thinking a lot about love lately. Not the kind of intimate partner love (though I'm glad to have that in my life), but the expansive love that is wider than our personal relationships. The Revolutionary Love conference reminded me again of the power of...
Hate Has No Home Here
Writing as the Leader of the Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture, I am saddened at the outbreak of antisemitism over the last few days, as synagogues and Jewish centers were vandalized, including the latest incident Sunday night. As I write this, it seems...
Emotions: A Humanist and Ethical Culture Perspective
To be a humanist means in part to accept that we are human beings, not angelic beings or robots. We are messes of emotion and reason, and sometimes the two are hard to separate. As Ben Franklin said (with updated language): “People are reasonable animals. We can find...
Ethical Culture Is a Platypus
When Europeans first encountered the platypus in Australia, the first assumption was that it was a hoax. A duck’s beak and webbed feat on the body of a beaver-like mammal? An aquatic mammal that gives birth by laying eggs? Ethical Culture Is a Platypus - by Jone...
Lessons from Women’s History
Every time I present about the "Women of Ethical Culture" I am reminded of a general principle: that when we look at the history of any nation, culture, or movement from the perspective of the women or other historically-marginalized group, we see a more complete...
Black History Month 2021
I've been part of several antiracism and racial justice book groups over the past years, and have read a lot on my own, as well, especially since taking a course in African American history in college. That course was the first time I encountered a course on history...
August 20, 1619: Still Important
The New York Times still has online an incredible series titled 1619, which suggests that we have for too long paid attention just to the English-speaking men and a few women who came from over the seas to settle. Well, not really about their settlement, either, if...