What I’ve always hated about writing, long as I can remember, is sitting down in front of a computer, facing an empty screen, and having to type. I just freeze up—it’s the most excruciating experience. In that situation my subconscious mind calls up  the idea of every great piece of writing that was ever written [...]

Then the earth comes back to life. Nature resurrects itself. That is the real story of Easter, and it’s why the Easter and Passover season is probably my favorite of the year if I had to choose. Every year I’m amazed by the way the way it happens again: no matter what is going wrong [...]

After a practice run in early March followed by a particularly busy period, it looks like I’m finally just about ready to start blogging more. And just in time to share some results from a new little talk I gave last weekend. In it, I began to explore how we might define Humanist community in [...]

I’m exhausted and wondering how the hell bloggers do it. We’ve had such a long day here in Los Angeles. An orientation session where we got to know fellow participants on this Spring Break Service Trip; then a long drive out to California Lutheran University where we packed hundreds of meals for the young people [...]

There are some rare days where, thanks to good friends or good will or just good luck, or all of the above, you can be thousands of miles from home and yet feel you have arrived at a safe haven, a place where you can be completely yourself, and your best self at that. Spring [...]

I had a great discussion of Humanism tonight with the Pomona Student Union, in an event the Pomona students decided to call “Virtues in the Void“. I was so impressed with the depth of the questions the students asked. Here are several– the last few in particular will be provocative for anyone who is trying [...]

Recently I participated in a radio debate with Dr. PZ Myers, a popular blogger on science and atheism, on the topic of “How Should the Atheist Movement Talk About Religion?” Give the program a listen if you haven’t yet. It’s a worthwhile hour– Myers is a passionate, articulate, and entertaining voice for atheism, and I [...]

Right now the Humanist Community Project is in the midst of a 3-day intensive training seminar. We’re helping 18 students who want to work as Humanist celebrants, officiating at Humanist wedding, funeral, baby welcoming, and other ceremonies. There are very few training opportunities for such folks in the US today, despite the fact that it [...]

The word “faith” is making the rounds in Humanist discussion circles for the bazillionth time this week. Here’s a reading on ethics by one of my favorite Humanist philosophers– Erich Fromm, another psychologist from the mid 20th century. Fromm had many, many inspiring things to say about the Humanist’s pursuit of a meaningful life. (And [...]

I’m Greg. You may have heard of me through my job– I work as the Humanist chaplain at Harvard University. Which means I’m used to being introduced in ways that can seem overly formal. So one of the reasons I’ve decided to start this blog is to create a space where I can share something [...]