• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Skip to footer navigation

  • Calendar of events
  • 687 Larch Av, Teaneck NJ
  • 201-836-5187
  • Contact Us
  • DONATE
Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County NJ

Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County NJ

  • Home
  • About
    • Platform
    • FAQ
      • How does Ethical Culture make a difference in society?
      • What social life is there in Ethical Culture?
      • How is Ethical Culture religious?
    • Ethical Brew
    • Ceremonies
    • Philosophy
    • Constitution & Bylaws
    • Contact Us
  • Ethical Kids
    • Sunday School
      • Primary Class
      • Elementary Class
      • Junior Class
      • Senior Class
      • Sunday school FAQ
    • Youth Group
  • Leader
    • Leader Curt Collier
    • Leader’s Talks
    • Joe Chuman, Retired Leader
      • Talks by Dr Joseph Chuman
      • Speaking of Ethics: Living a Humanist Life
      • Wedding Officiant
  • Social Action
    • All Social Action Articles
    • Battling Racism
    • Environmental Action
    • Healthcare
  • Adult Ed
    • Job Club
    • Socrates Cafe
    • Ethical Culture Review of Books
  • News
    • President Column
    • UN Report
    • Platform Addresses
  • Events

Ethical Culture and Human Solidarity

March 26, 2020

By Dr. Joseph Chuman

“May you live in interesting times” is a saying attributed to the Chinese, but probably erroneously. But whatever its origins, its meaning is ironic. It is, in fact, a type of curse, wishing that its victim lives in times of trouble.

By the light of that adage, there is no doubt that we live in most “interesting” times. It is a time like none of us has ever experienced, a time of fear and anxiety, a time when we feel that an invisible enemy lurks and draws ever closer to smother us—any of us—with total indifference, in a blanket of illness and death. But we do not know whether it will be our very person or our neighbor. We walk very uncomfortably and cautiously through a landscape of uncertainty.

Nature will have last word

This pandemic caused by the coronavirus throws humanity up against our limits. Despite the vaunting achievements of modern science and technology, the threat that appeared suddenly out of nowhere reminds us of the fragility of the human condition. We are not as secure as we lead ourselves to believe that we are. We build mighty skyscrapers and deploy our cleverness to engage the most perplexing problems, but we can still be mortally threatened by an invasion of invisible microbes. Nature can still readily do us in. Perhaps covid-19 is a harbinger of what our medical authorities have been telling us for quite a while, namely that the pathogens that suffuse our environment, in their ability to rapidly mutate, are outstripping our antibiotics and antivirals to subdue them. Perhaps. But whatever the outcome of this war, nature, in the ultimate scheme of things, will have the last word. 

Our researchers are working feverishly to develop a vaccine, and I am confident that this time they will. We will win this battle. But before a vaccine is developed, our best defense is the defense our ancient ancestors would have employed, namely to physically separate ourselves from each other, thus depriving the virus of another host and stemming the communication of the disease.

Maintaining a conscious distance

Hence, we have taken on “social distancing,” a practice that feels unnatural and strange. Some remain quarantined in their homes as if under self-imposed house arrest. Some venture out cautiously to the market or on other brief errands. But there is no touching, no warming hugs, no kisses on the cheek, no handshakes. Just the maintenance of a conscious distance between us and others. It frustrates our instincts.

This is so, I believe, because enforcing a distance between ourselves and others nurtures an appreciation for something we too readily take for granted. Too often we neglect the significance of something commonplace until we are forced to go without it. And in this case it is the importance of the human bond.

While different people value different things, and the diversity of experiences that we humans pursue in search of happiness seems almost infinite, I would wager that what brings happiness to most people over the long term is the love of others, friendship, being in community with others, and engaging comfortable feelings of warm, human connections. 

No substitute for human presence

As human beings, we are very much social creatures and are most fulfilled through living our lives with others. And so we feel the yearning for one another across social distances. Humanist that I am, I believe there is no substitute for being in and feeling the physical presence of others, hearing the inflection of their voices, observing their gestures, apprehending their body language, sensing their passion and their laughter, sharing their physical space. 

We in the Ethical Society and people across the world are fortunate that sophisticated technologies exist to help us bridge that physical gap today. But however clever these technologies, I think most people sense that they are but facsimiles that ultimately fall short of doing justice to the face-to-face of the human encounter, and we feel the powerful desire for the plague to end so that we can once again enjoy, unmediated, the company of other human beings whose presence enables us to feel most at home in the world.

These values, commonplace but essential to our fulfillment, are central to Ethical Culture and its humanist orientation. I’ll be exploring them further in my address of April 5th, entitled “Ethical Culture and Human Solidarity.” I look forward to seeing you then, even though most probably there will remain a physical distance between us.   

Dr. Joseph Chuman is leader of the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County.

Primary Sidebar

Recent News

  • Society Gets Grant to Explore Concept of ‘Sacred Spaces’
  • Church-State Separation: Who Stands to Lose if the Wall Fails?
  • Two Grants Help Fund ‘Great NJ Science Show’
  • Meet Our Newest Members, Andy and Deborah Krikun
  • Struggle over Church-State Separation has Deep Roots in America

Sign up for our newsletter.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

We believe in ethics. We believe in people.

Please believe in us.

Ethical Brew

Being White And Its Hidden Assumptions

‘How Race Impacts Conservation’

About Us

Ethical Culture was founded to focus on community and good works, rather than personal salvation. Read more…

Archives

Footer

Connect with Us

Address: 687 Larch Ave, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Phone: 201-836-5187
Email: [email protected]

Sign up for our newsletter.

 

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Society Gets Grant to Explore Concept of ‘Sacred Spaces’ January 31, 2023
  • Church-State Separation: Who Stands to Lose if the Wall Fails? January 30, 2023
  • Two Grants Help Fund ‘Great NJ Science Show’ January 29, 2023
  • Meet Our Newest Members, Andy and Deborah Krikun January 29, 2023
  • Struggle over Church-State Separation has Deep Roots in America January 28, 2023

We believe in ethics. We believe in people.

Please believe in us.

Topics

atheism atheist church book review children church-state separation civil rights climate change community compassion death democracy Doris Friedensohn Elizabeth Warren environment Ethical Brew Ethical Culture ethical education ethics family Felix Adler gender global warming happiness healthcare humanism humanist humanists human rights Israel Joseph Chuman meetinghouse Middle East politics racism religion Robert Gulack Secular Humanism social action Socrates Cafe Sunday School technology Trump unemployment world health youth

What We Do For Fun….

There's always time for play: celebrations, discussions (some in Spanish -- find Conversemos on our calendar on the fourth Tuesday of the month), hikes, picnics, cultural outings, and more. Come join us!
Kids get into the act
Diane running the show

Important Links

  • Member of the American Ethical Union
  • Ethical Brew
  • Sanctuary Committee
  • BC Gun Violence Prevention
  • NJ Website Designer
© 2021 | The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County NJ

Copyright © 2023 · Kreativ Pro On Genesis Framework · The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County · Log in

  • Calendar of events
  • 687 Larch Av, Teaneck NJ
  • 201-836-5187
  • Contact Us
  • DONATE