It’s a hard time to be a humanist. The evidence for human goodness and the capacity for humanity to save ourselves feels like it’s at an all-time low. The pandemic and the polarization of the last few years have shown us human selfishness, short-sightedness, and stubborn ignorance. Or at least, that’s what it feels like while scrolling through social media or scanning the news. Â
Except, when we dig in deeper, there’s another truth. Despite what the internet portrays, people are not stereotypes or memes. Every person has a story that is particular and complex. Choices they have made that shaped their lives and times when they had no choice but to deal with what life gave them. Within those choices, there is pain and there is triumph. Reconciliation and also irreversible loss.
When we move past what’s on the surface and beyond generalities into the deep particulars of someone’s story, we discover the universal. The thread of humanity that connects us all. We see that alongside regret, there is also redemption. Alongside loss, there is also love. Â
This June, let’s spend time sharing the stories of the humans of our community. The complex individuals whose lives connect with our own. Let’s celebrate the kindness that surrounds us and the good news that the truth – including the truth of our own lives, our human lives – continues to be revealed – and this moment is not the end of the story. Let celebrate the Humans of Foothills.
In partnership,
Rev. Gretchen
