Values in Harmony - University of St Andrews

4. Humanism . . . insists that personal liberty must be combined with socialresponsibility. Humanism ventures to build a world on the idea of the free person,responsible to society, and recognises our dependence on and responsibilityfor the natural world. Humanism is not dogmatic, imposing no creed upon itsadherents. It is thus committed to education free from indoctrination.5. Humanism . . . is a response to the widespread demand for an alternative todogmatic religion. The world’s major religions claim to be based on revelationsfixed for all time, and many seek to impose their world-views on all of humanity.Humanism recognises that reliable knowledge of the world and ourselves arisesthrough a continuing process of observation, evaluation and revision.6. Humanism . . . values artistic creativity and imagination and recognises thetransforming power of art. Humanism affirms the importance of literature, music,and the visual and performing arts for personal development and fulfilment.Humanism . . . is a life-stance aiming at the maximum possible fulfillment through thecultivation of ethical and creative living, offering an ethical and rational means of addressingthe challenges of our times. Humanism can be a way of life for everyone everywhere. Ourprimary task is to make human beings aware in the simplest terms of what Humanism canmean to them, and what it commits them to. By utilising free inquiry, the power of science andcreative imagination for the furtherance of peace and in the service of compassion, we haveconfidence that we have the means to solve the problems that confront us all.COMMUNITY:There’s a narrow strip of birch wood by a busy railway trackWhere the blackbirds sing superbly and the trains rush there and backAs I wander in the birch wood with the burdens of the day‘Til my peace of mind takes over and all burdens slip away.There’s a glory in that birch wood, seldom seen and seldom knownTo the folk who trundle to and fro for cash, they’ll never ownIt’s the glory of the sunshine and the glory of the rainThe healing of the scars of life, the easing of our pain.Tho’ it’s not the birch wood heals us, nor the sunshine, nor the rainNor the blackbird singing blithely, nor the rushing of the trainBut the healing of community when wounds are deep and soreAnd the human hand of friendship and the warmth of love once more.Anon48