• 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

Ethics For a Lifetime

October 6, 2019

Joe Chuman, Leader of the Bergen Society, gave a personal and heartfelt Platform address this morning on the topic, “Ethics For a Lifetime”.   This was not, as one might think from the title, a reflection on his own life, rather it was a plea to us all that when we judge others, we do so taking the totality of their life and actions into consideration rather than a single event.

“To be offended is not the worst thing in the world”

We live in a very coarse age, one in which every statement, public or private, is parsed and categorized, judged and adjudicated according to the most recent standards of political correctness and indignation.  It is, indeed, a nasty time that we live in, one in which we measure a person’s character by the worst they have said and not by all they have said. It is bad enough that we judge public figures by these punitive standards but we also judge our friends, family and acquaintances similarly.     

Joe’s Platform address today was a plea to mitigate this insensitivity with civility, to assume that imperfect people have fair motivations even if they are expressed with poorly chosen words drawn during the heat of the moment.  Humans are a fractious lot, prone to conflict, and there is no doubt that speech can offend. But “to be offended is not the worst thing in the world” – sometimes it’s best to get a thicker skin, to turn the other cheek and give people another chance.  We should judge one another by the tableau of their lives, not from a single ill considered movement.

Primary Sidebar

Sign up for our newsletter.

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…

We believe in ethics. We believe in people.

Please believe in us.

Ethical Brew

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Archives

Footer

Connect with Us

Address: 687 Larch Ave, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Phone: 201-836-5187
Email: admin@ethicalfocus.org

Sign up for our newsletter.

 

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Celebrating New Leader Curt Collier! May 17, 2022
  • Children Make Meals in a Jar to Benefit Ugandan Orphans May 15, 2022
  • Installation and Celebration of Leader Curt Collier April 26, 2022
  • New Program, Culpability Circle, Aims to Foster Growth and Self-Awareness April 25, 2022
  • Author Delivers Playful, Important Tale to Listeners of All Ages April 24, 2022

We believe in ethics. We believe in people.

Please believe in us.

Topics

atheism atheist church book review children civil rights climate change community compassion death democracy Doris Friedensohn Elizabeth Warren environment environmentalism Ethical Brew Ethical Culture ethical dilemmas ethical education ethics everyday ethics family Felix Adler happiness healthcare humanism humanist humanists human rights Israel Joseph Chuman meetinghouse Middle East politics racism religion Secular Humanism social action Socrates Cafe Sunday School technology Trump unemployment winter solstice 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 © 2022 · 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