Understanding Capitalist Exploitation

by Brian Ellis

All words in bold italics are defined in the glossary at the end of this article.

We live in a world dominated by the capitalist economic system, a world fraught with inequality, strife and suffering. The capitalist mode of organization has given us a world of perpetual war where imperialism and the development of increasingly lethal weaponry take precedent over human well-being. A world in which children starve to death because of lack of food in one region while obesity is a major health concern in another, and where the ecological destruction we have caused poses a serious threat to our species continued survival. In addition to the shocking and glaring problems that we are all familiar with there is the often overlooked, insidious psychological damage inflicted upon each of us who must sell ourselves - our time, our mental or physical labor - for the profits of those who live comfortably and already have plenty. The very wealthy and powerful among us (the ruling class), those who own the places in which most of us work but do little work themselves, make up a very small minority. The vast majority of people who inhabit our planet (the working class) have only one option to survive: sell their time and labor to an employer and spend their life working - a mundane existence, 40 or more hours a week - just to try and make ends meet. Some working class people have it worse than others, those who are unable to find employment or adequate pay for their work languish in abject poverty, existing only with the help of charity, government aid or by scavenging. This inequality means more than just having less, it means fewer opportunities, higher mortality rates, a lack of proper health care, inadequate nutrition, meager education, poor housing and a dangerous environment. One must ask, "Why is it so? Does it have to be this way? Is there really no alternative to a system that only provides when there is a profit to be made?" In order to answer these questions we must first understand the exploitive nature of capitalism and how humanity’s greatest problems stem from this system.

To understand capitalism we have to look at the systems of organization of past and present society. Human society was at first, and for the largest part of our species existence, a nomadic, hunter-gatherer type of society. Hunter-gatherer society could be classified as a primitive form of communism where all members of the tribe/society were provided for, currency and private property was non-existent and where direct cooperation with others was essential to survival. Although to some hunter-gatherer society may sound ideal it was far from what most of us would consider Utopian; life spans were short, people were susceptible to illness from a variety of infectious diseases and parasites, they occasionally fell prey to predators, and had little protection from environmental conditions; life was a constant struggle to survive. Hunter-gatherer society also saw the occasional homicide and war in the form of small tribal skirmishes (though not the large scale warfare we see today). Death, illness, and natural phenomena, which were not rationally understood, created fear and sparked the formation of religious beliefs (as a way of explaining these things).

When agriculture came about the available food supply enlarged as did the population of many communities, soon the first nation-states formed. Agriculture meant larger populations could be sustained and that people did not have to move from place to place but it also meant that there would need to be a division of labor; some would find themselves best suited for working the land, others would prepare food or construct shelters and tools. In time certain individuals and groups used force to assert ownership over areas of agricultural land, they then figured out that they could enslave or conscript others into working for their profit. By enslaving, leasing land to be worked or employing others to work their land the owners were able to greatly multiply their wealth and power; they would retain this wealth and power between their family and friends – the first ruling class was born. Along with agriculture came the advent of rigidly hierarchical society, slavery, monotheistic religion (which reflected the ruler/ruled hierarchy of society), currency, and large-scale warfare. Human society eventually became organized under different socioeconomic systems, most widespread during the middle-ages was the system of feudalism. Most societies that adopted the feudal system of organization eventually progressed to capitalism. Each system of organization that has come about since the advent of agriculture has held one commonality: they are all forms of subjection – subjection of a majority to a minority of owners – slave masters, feudal lords and eventually the capitalist ruling class. The minority (the ruling class) have continually carved up more and more land and fought each other for land and resources while the majority (the working class) have always been caught in the middle – doing all the work and fighting all the wars.

What Is Capitalism?

Capitalism is a system in which those who own the means of production seek to produce and accumulate capital; capitalism is also referred to as the profit system, a market economy or free market economy (although no free market economies actually exist, all nations currently employ some degree of government regulation or central planning as opposed to relying on the market alone). In the U.S. the means of production are primarily privately owned i.e. owned by either an individual or a group of individuals, like in a business or a corporation. The means of production may also be owned by the state; many nations organized in this way may refer to their system of organization as socialism or communism but it is more accurate to classify them as another form of capitalism known as state capitalism. The main form of capital that is of interest to a capitalist (an owner of a means of production) is profit. The profit is what is left over after paying employees, bills, and other expenses; this is what the boss or owner gets to pocket. The capitalist derives a profit by extracting surplus value from his employees.

To understand surplus value we have to look at the nature of the relationship between an employer and an employee, when one understands this relationship its exploitive nature is revealed. The employer, i.e. the owner of a means of production, extracts surplus value by paying their workers less money than the value of what they produce. The employer must extract enough surplus value from his or her employees to be able to pay bills and other expenses and still have enough left over to make a profit and/or pay himself a salary that is significantly higher than that of his employees. For example: a worker in a factory that produces shoes may produce a pair of shoes in one hour, the worker will be paid $8.00 for their hour of work but the shoes will sell for $80.00, the $72 dollars leftover is surplus value; when you subtract the cost of materials, the cost of utilities used to run the machines, and any other expenses from the $72.00 of surplus value, whatever is leftover is profit for the capitalist; the cheaper the labor and materials the more surplus value and profit for the employer. So in effect the worker is not being paid for a portion of his or her labor, this non-paid labor is known as surplus labor. A capitalist must maintain this parasitic relationship in order to continue to have a profitable business and obtain a larger share of money for himself. Since the working class will always want wages to be higher and the capitalist class will always want labor costs to be lower, the interests of the capitalist class and the working class will always be in conflict until capitalism and classes are abolished altogether and the means of production are collectively owned and democratically controlled by the community.

It is often argued that owners of small businesses, managers or bosses also work and often just as much as their employees. In some workplaces it is true that the petit-bourgeoisie managers and small business owners work alongside their employees but we must make some important distinctions. Managers are not owners they are merely endowed with authority and given a higher wage than those whom they are instructed to supervise; small business owners often cannot extract enough surplus value to be able to completely remove themselves from the actual work of running their business, even still they reap the largest share of income that the workplace generates by extracting surplus value from employees. When discussing the role of bosses and managers in a workplace it should be taken into consideration that their duties consist mainly of organizing this system of surplus value extraction. Bosses and managers duties include: weighing labor costs against sales and ensuring that the former never exceeds the latter – sending workers home when necessary or scheduling so that labor costs are minimalized and ensuring that production remains as efficient as possible and constant (often by using threats of termination and other forms of psychological intimidation), handling business bills, expenses and calculating worker payroll. When the nature of the manager’s or small business owner’s work is factored in it becomes apparent that they do not actually do a fair share of the productive work. Most of this non-productive work is only necessary within capitalist organization, it does nothing to provide for human need. If all people were working to provide for need instead of managing capitalist functionality the workforce would enlarge considerably. Think of all the people whose only work deals with abstraction, like bankers and stockbrokers. The workforce would enlarge even more so when all those who make up the reserve army of labor were given meaningful work to do; only in capitalism does it make sense that a considerable portion of the workforce would have no work to do when there is always work that needs to be done and people in need. But in capitalism work is only done if there is profit to made; a capitalist does not ask if people need food or homes his first question is: “Is there a profit to be made by supplying people with food or homes?”.

Owners of large businesses or executives of corporations are not to be bothered with business minutiae and micromanaging, they often only serve as decision makers, PR managers, and arbiters of company investments and policy. With large business owners and corporate executives we see an even more parasitic relationship where their salaries are often a hundred times larger than their workers but they produce nothing of real value. Also included in the category of major societal parasites would be: stockbrokers, clergy, bankers, the insurance industry, the lottery/gambling industry, quacks, charlatans, the state and its professional politicians and bureaucrats, etc. The organizational work performed by industry executives could be eliminated entirely or could easily be made redundant by democratically organized workers in a libertarian socialist system (see what is libertarian socialism).

Capitalism as a Form of Slavery

Slavery is a relationship of control and servitude in which an owner (slave master) restricts the liberty of another person (a slave) and coerces the slave into performing labor for the owners benefit. Capitalism is exactly that, a form of slavery – wage slavery. The genius of capitalism is that it gives the illusion of freedom – most of its slaves are unaware that they are slaves, even though they may know it on a subconscious level. A wage slave has more freedom than a traditional chattel slave but the wage slave’s freedom is still restricted to a considerable degree. Consider the realities of contemporary capitalist society – even in an industrialized country with strict labor laws an employee is required to work around 40 hours a week in order to receive an adequate amount of pay and benefits like health insurance; workers are left with little time for activities that they would enjoy or that would enrich their intellect. If a worker has a family with children there is even less time left over for personal enjoyment and discovery. This work schedule is coerced in a capitalist society – one must sell their labor or risk falling through the holes of the government's social safety nets (if there are any) and starving on the streets. This compulsory work regimen leads to depression, ennui and unfulfillment, especially if one is in a line of work that is not desirable or fitted to ones personality. Further exacerbating these negative emotions is what Karl Marx termed labor alienation - the loss of personal liberty and detachment from the products of ones labor, other workers, and the community. The condition of working class people is compounded even further by the loaning of credit and the legalized theft that is interest collection - anxiety and despair plague those who fall into the trap of consumer debt. The accumulation of debt is often the result of the endemic conditions in capitalist society of depression and unfulfillment, which drive sufferers to seek the temporary relief and euphoria gained through consumerist buying.

Although the working class in first world countries undoubtedly suffer, the suffering they are forced to endure cannot compare to that of the third world working class. First world workers benefit from the cheap labor of third world workers (just as their capitalist masters do) - the first world working class's conditions are improved by the abundance of cheaply produced goods (think Walmart). Because of this, socialists in America and other industrialized countries who want to awaken others must fight against a prevalent sense of complacency within the working class. This sense of complacency though widespread is only illusory as the inevitable busts (recessions and depressions) have shown that good conditions are temporary. In order for us to truly improve our conditions world wide solidarity among the working class is needed with the aim of doing away with wage slavery altogether. This requires that we look past our superficial differences e.g. skin color, nationality, ethnicity, religious belief, etc.

The Game is Rigged

Capitalism is like a life or death game of Monopoly and more and more people are figuring out that the game is rigged – they don’t want to play any more. More people have come to understand that capitalism is based first and foremost on acquiring profits; all other considerations, such as ethical or environmental considerations are secondary to this primary goal - capitalism can be accurately summarized as the source of global disorder for this reason. The reason some starve is because there is no profit to be made from supplying them with food, the reason our environment is pillaged and polluted is because profit is the primary consideration, and the reason wars are waged is because our rulers are vying for wealth, power and control (despite whatever pretexts they may come up with). Under capitalism humanity is its own worst enemy and the fact that we are capable of annihilating ourselves provides an impetus for action in the here and now - not slow gradual reform which may take centuries (we may not have that long) or never accomplish anything at all because it fails to remove power from the wealthy and powerful and put it in the hands of the people themselves. When enough people figure out that capitalism is a scam which robs them of what they deserve, we can take control of our destiny and begin a new era in which labor and resources are used to meet human needs - not to make profits for a controlling minority. Once society has liberated itself from the yoke of wage slavery we can eliminate the scourge of war, poverty, and starvation; we can direct resources toward scientific and medical advancement to better the human condition. Imagine scientific pursuit unhindered by financial considerations - working to discover new knowledge and new technologies, end ecological destruction from pollution, and working to protect our planet from natural disasters (meteor strikes, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, etc.) We can also dismantle irrationality in the form of religious dogma and cultural conservatism, and eradicate the boredom and depression that most of us are forced to endure by working exhausting full-time work schedules.

What is the Alternative to Capitalism?

If you agree with the thesis of this essay you now realize that humanity must liberate itself from the bondage of capitalism. We have seen that attempts to do this in the past have failed for various reasons; it is abundantly clear that statist ideologies are doomed to fail as are any ideologies that do not remain true to the ethical roots of socialist thought – equality, democracy, and the concept of human rights. Another lesson to be learned from history is that our strength is in numbers – we can only achieve our aims when we are joined together in solidarity, demanding a better future, one based on justice for all. The alternative to capitalism that takes all of these historical lessons into account is libertarian socialism.

What is Libertarian Socialism?

First we should make clear what libertarian socialism is not; libertarian socialism is not reformism - the view that capitalism can slowly be made into a humane or ethical system by introducing reforms, it is not state capitalism or state socialism, it is not a welfare state, it is not a political philosophy that entails a protracted transition period on the way to socialism or a vanguard party dictatorship, and it is not a Utopian vision (a libertarian socialist society will not be without its problems but it will be a society where the causes of the majority of violence and crime have been done away with). Much unlike the coercive nature of capitalism, libertarian socialism or anarchism is a system of organization based upon voluntary cooperation of individuals in a non-hierarchical and democratic society; a classless, money-less, stateless society. In a libertarian socialist society employment would be abolished, work would be voluntary and production would be based on providing for need alone, those in need would be free to take and use goods and services at will – a society based on the maxim: “From each according to their ability, to each according to their need”. Libertarian socialism is not only about economic change, it is about radically restructuring society in many ways (making communities self sufficient, challenging unjustified hierarchy, combating bigotry and harmful dogmas, doing away with all forms of coercion, etc.) and empowering people to govern themselves with direct democracy - thus fully doing away with the tyranny of the state. In order to do away with capitalism and the state we need to educate more people about the nature of capitalism: how it steals from the working class and turns human beings into mere slaves condemned to a life of drudgery. If you are part of the working class this realization should compel you to revolt against your plutocratic slave masters and do away with the capitalist system and the state which serves to maintain it; but you should understand that the only way to do this is in solidarity with others who share your plight. Political parties that claim to represent the working class in reality only represent the ruling class unless their explicit goal is to do away with capitalism completely through popular revolution - not slowly through phases or with reforms. Libertarian socialism is a rational alternative to the madness of capitalism and it is the only thing that can save humanity from itself.

Glossary of Terms:

Imperialism – the policy of acquiring more territory and resources by the use of military, political or economic means. Though the causes of global conflict may seem complex and governments often manufacture pretexts for wars, the main cause of conflict between nations is imperialism in one form or another.

Ruling class – also called the owning class, the capitalist class or the bourgeoisie. The ruling class are those that own the means of production and employ others to run it.

Working class – the class of people that do not own a means of production and who must sell their labor (mental or physical) in order to survive. The working class constitute the majority of the world’s population. Also called: proletariat. Anyone who is not an owner of private property is in the working class, regardless of annual income.

Private property – is the privately owned capital or means of production used by a business or a corporation in order to obtain more capital and profits. It is of utmost importance to make the distinction between private property and personal property. Personal property is property owned by individuals for personal use and for this reason it is reasonable to exclude others from using this property e.g. toothbrushes, clothing, personal computers, MP3 players, homes, autos, etc. etc.

Hierarchical - characteristic of hierarchy. Hierarchical organization is based on the ranking of some individuals over others. For instance a monarchy is a hierarchical system in which the royalty are deemed to be more important than the people they rule over. The monarchs are therefore given power to rule over the people and tell them how they must live (as are any politicians or bureaucrats).

Capital – wealth in the form of money or property.

Means of production – this is anything used to manufacture a product. Means of production are divided into two categories: instruments of labor i.e. factories, sophisticated and expensive tools, workplaces, etc. and subjects of labor i.e. natural resources and other raw materials. In Karl Marx’s time, the term “means of production” was most often in reference to factories where much of the working class was employed but today the means of production can just as easily refer to any business or workplace.

Surplus value – surplus value is the amount of money that is left over after an employer sells a product or a service that his employee has made or rendered and pays his employee a cut. The employee always gets paid less than the value of the product he or she has made or the service that he or she has rendered, the capitalist pockets the difference.

The state – this is another term for government. Government is any form of hierarchical organization in which a group of officials which are either elected or appointed impose rules and laws on the citizens of a country in which they rule over. The state's main function is to preserve the system of capitalism which allows it to exist and vice versa.

State capitalist – Also referred to as a “centrally planned economy”, state capitalism is a system of capitalism in which private property is replaced by state property (nationalization) but the underlying system of capitalism remains the same – goods and services are bought and sold and in turn workers are coerced into selling their labor for a wage. Traditionally state capitalist nations are authoritarian, repressive, and refer to themselves as socialist or communist e.g. the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Republic of Cuba, the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, etc. In a state capitalist society a new type of bourgeoisie forms and is made up of the vanguard's politicians and bureaucrats. Workers are still exploited as their cheaply produced goods are sold on the world market for state profit.

Petit-bourgeoisie - Most Marxists would label middle class small business owners, and managers/bosses into the group known as the petit-bourgeoisie – some may be part of the owning or capitalist class and some may be members of the working class but they generally side with capitalism since they are comfortable with their livelihood within the system.

Karl Marx - Widely considered to be the father of modern socialism (the term he used was communism). Marx was one of the first to articulate the exploitive nature of capitalism. Many of the concepts and much of the language used in this essay was either coined or popularized by Marx.

Labor alienation – is the feeling of detachment from the result or product of one’s work. Marx’s theory of labor alienation states that in capitalism a human being is reduced to a machine that has little control over his or her life and his or her work, individuality is crushed. In capitalism a person is coerced into selling their labor to any employer that will accept them, this employer then makes the rules and gives the orders, the employee is forced into subservience. What the worker produces individually or in concert with others is taken from them to be sold to often anonymous and unknown consumers. Whether the worker provides a service or produces a product there is often the feeling that one is not working for the betterment of the community or others but simply for a wage and for the benefit of the employer, as the employer exorbitantly charges the recipient and then takes a cut of the profit rendered. In capitalism many come to realize that their work is more fit for an emotionless robot for they are actually not producing or providing anything to others but only managing capitalist function (e.g. check out cashiers, bank tellers, accountants, etc.) for the acquisition of a wage. Through inter-workplace competition and enmity that thrives in capitalism workers are also alienated from one another in the process of their work. Alienation from family and friends also occurs and is a result of long hours and the fact that people are often forced to relocate in order to find higher wages.

The reserve army of labor - those who are not employed within the capitalist system. The reserve army of labor help the capitalists by keeping wages low - for the capitalist can always fire an employee or employees who want higher wages or better conditions and bring in new employees from the reserve army who will work for the lower wage or in poor conditions. When there is a large reserve army of labor the employers have the upper hand, they can lower wages, take away benefits or breaks, and fire anyone they deem unsatisfactory. Many people are paid to remain unemployed (via unemployment insurance) by the state because they serve this vital purpose within capitalism (the state also realizes that this is a portion of society that needs to be pacified so that they do not revolt or get out of hand).

Consumerism - the belief that money and the buying of more goods can result in happiness and fulfillment. Although some things are absolutely essential and others may bring us enjoyment no one attains true happiness or fulfillment through the acquisition of more "stuff". Consumerism is not merely wanting the necessary things in life that bring comfort; consumerism is an obsessive desire to want to buy more and more in hopes of achieving contentment.

Welfare state - a capitalist state that attempts to create a kinder, gentler capitalism by the use of reforms i.e. social safety nets (various forms of welfare, nationalized health insurance, minimum wage requirements, etc.). A welfare state may buy the citizens of the said country some security in the short run but because there is no ultimate change in the economic and political structure - no movement toward socialism or radical democracy - the wealthy still have the most political clout; because of this there is always the opportunity to scale back or completely scrap these reforms. In addition the welfare state serves the capitalist class by pacifying the working class - it eases symptoms of capitalist disorder but does not cure the underlying illness therefore perpetuating capitalist exploitation. The welfare state does nothing for the third world working class and may actually make their conditions worse.

Vanguard party - a party of professional politicians who campaign for political power in order to represent the interests of a class or another group of people. Vanguardism was first proposed by Vladimir Lenin and was put into action by him in the Soviet Union, because of this, the view that socialist revolution can only be brought about by a vanguard party is generally known as Leninism. Leninism is fundamentally flawed as socialism cannot be imposed on society, it can only be brought about when the majority of the working class understands and wants it. Furthermore the interests of the working class can only be genuinely represented by the working class itself, democratically, without leaders or politicians.

Anarchism - anarchism means literally “without rulers” (an – without, archy – rule/rulers), without rulers does not mean without law or without order. Anarchism though often erroneously thought to be a synonym of disorder is actually a centuries old political philosophy that advocates a system of organization in which the people govern themselves (practice self management) via direct democracy and provide for one another voluntarily without wages and without buying and selling i.e. libertarian socialism. The popular "circle A" symbol is the letter "A" surrounded by the letter "O" and stands for "anarchy is order". Examples of anarchism in practice: Spain during the Spanish Revolution and the Spanish Civil War, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), recent workplace occupations in Argentina, The Paris Commune, etc.

Direct democracy – democracy literally means rule by the people. Direct democracy is a form of democracy in which the people as a whole make the decisions that affect them, rather than have those decisions made for them by elected representatives or by dictators and kings. The problem with representative democracies (republics) is that the "representatives" often fail to represent their constituents and when they do so they are nearly impossible to impeach/recall. They most likely will represent corporations and businesses that have funneled them money. A direct democracy would also implement protections for individual autonomy via a constitution or some sort of declaration of principles.

Plutocratic – characteristic of a plutocracy. A plutocracy is a society ruled and ran by the wealthy.

Sleep Paralysis and Hypnagogic/Hypnapompic Hallucinations

Sleep Paralysis and Hypnagogic/Hypnapompic Hallucinations

I decided to write a little bit about sleep paralysis and some common perceptive phenomena after encountering so much bogus and ridiculous information concerning these things on the internet. Sleep paralysis accompanied by hypnagogic or hypnapompic hallucinations, may be extremely disturbing if one has no idea what is happening and especially if one has received misinformation which informs them that they are being possessed by demons, abducted by aliens, or that they are experiencing “astral catalepsy”, etc., etc. It is important that people receive accurate information concerning these experiences because understanding of what these experiences actually are allows you to remain calm and get through them without a significant amount of stress whereas misinformation may make these experiences even more stressful and confusing for the individual.

I have experienced sleep paralysis several times in my life. The first couple times happened several years ago and were terrifying because I had no idea what was going on. The first time I awoke but found myself frozen in bed, at the foot of my bed I saw a tall man looking solemnly down at me, after about 10 or 15 seconds I was able to move, I sat up in a panic and the hallucination disappeared. The second incidence I can remember occurred without hallucinations; I again was paralyzed, this time I was lying on my stomach in bed and felt overwhelming panic as if I was dead but somehow still conscious, I could not open my eyes or move at all, I felt as though it was difficult to breathe. After these first couple incidents I did some research and this is when it became apparent to me that anyone looking for information on sleep paralysis must sift through loads of baseless pseudoscientific or paranormal explanations. Just recently I experienced sleep paralysis for the third time and I hallucinated again, this time the hallucination was auditory, I heard an extremely loud screeching sound like someone was scratching a fork on a plate along with a roaring and hissing sound. This time I was not frightened because I knew what I was experiencing and that the paralysis/hallucinations would subside shortly.

Sleep paralysis occurs when one awakens from REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement sleep – the stage of sleep in which dreams occur) but the REM atonia, the state of paralysis that occurs during this stage of sleep, has not yet subsided. The person experiencing sleep paralysis is often in a state of consciousness between being awake and asleep and may experience what are known as hypnapompic (upon waking) or hypnagogic (upon falling asleep) hallucinations. These may be vivid as in seeing people or creatures in the room. People who have experienced vivid hypnagogic or hypnapompic hallucinations often describe seeing shadow people, aliens, vanishing ghosts, or small human-like creatures. Hypnagogic and hypnapompic hallucinations may be less vivid and resemble geometric shapes, fractals, or figures. These hallucinations may also be auditory (hearing your name being called, loud voices, screeching, crashes or booms, hissing or roaring), tactile (sensations of pressure or touching on the body), or they may seem to be extra-sensory, as in sensing a menacing presence nearby. Hypnagogic and hypnapompic hallucinations can occur independently of sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis is relatively common but it usually occurs infrequently, maybe only once or twice in a person’s lifetime, some people with sleep disorders experience it chronically. In healthy individuals it is thought to be sometimes caused by drugs that effect sleep such as caffeine, THC, and alcohol; It may also be caused by stress and disrupted sleep patterns. Many neurologists believe alien abduction reports and some ghost stories can be attributed to sleep paralysis and accompanying hypnapompic or hypnagogic hallucinations.

Some Common Types of Perceptive Phenomena:

Blue Field Entoptic Phenomenon

This is an entoptic (occurring withing the eye) phenomenon in which someone sees what looks like thousands of rapidly moving worms or bright dots when staring at a “blue field” or a lightly colored field like the blue sky or a white wall. What is actually being seen are thousands of white blood cells moving through the retinal capillaries. The white blood cells do not absorb light (especially blue light) as well as the red blood cells do and therefore create little bright spots in our vision which move very rapidly, as they are rushing through the capillaries. This is something I had noticed for years before I knew what it was, some people never notice this phenomenon until it is pointed out to them...some may not even notice it then. When I first started to research these rapidly moving and swirling dots I came across a website which offered an explanation that quickly set off my bullshit detector, it stated some people can view “energies” and can see them swirling around in space when staring at the sky – complete nonsense and more proof that we must be discretionary and seek out only explanations that are scientifically based.

Phosphenes

A phosphene is a type of entoptic phenomenon in which light or colors are seen without actual light entering the eye. The most common phosphene is the pressure phosphene in which external or internal pressure on the eye stimulates the retina causing the appearance of colors and light, many have experienced this while rubbing their closed eyes. Phosphenes can also be generated by magnetic or electrical stimulation.

Prisoner’s Cinema

Prisoner’s cinema is a perceptive phenomenon in which colorful lights are seen after prolonged periods in the absence of light. These lights often take on the shapes of humans, animals and other objects. This phenomenon is most commonly reported by people who have experienced sensory deprivation, such as prisoner’s who have been forced into dark isolation cells – hence the name. Prisoner's cinema is thought to be caused by phosphenes and psychological phenomena associated with sensory deprivation. I have found that it may only take as little as a half an hour to induce this phenomenon in complete darkness. It is certain that many “paranormal” experiences can be attributed to this phenomenon.

Aura

An aura is what epileptics and migraine sufferers sometimes experience before an attack. These are typically scotomas and lights but can also manifest as auditory, gustatory, or olfactory hallucinations.

Afterimages

This is a phenomenon in which an object previously in one’s field of vision remains there, usually in negative form, after one looks away. This is type of optical illusion is entirely normal and involves the tiring of “rod” or “cone” receptors in the retina.

Humanism: a Response to Nihilism and Existentialism

Humanism: a Response to Nihilism and Existentialism

By Brian Ellis

Nihilism is the view that existence has no inherent meaning or purpose and that there can be no objective morality as morality is itself meaningless. To a nihilist life and all of one’s endeavors are trivial because of this perceived meaninglessness. The essence of nihilism is despair and confusion in the face of an absurd and uncaring universe. I believe the general premise of nihilism is accurate – existence has no inherent meaning or purpose - but I do not consider myself a nihilist and I do believe we can ascribe meaning to our lives and develop a sufficient ethical sense – a reason driven morality.

Nihilism is a type of defeatism, a despondent view that many have experienced, from atheists to the religious who suffer a crisis of faith; some have given up on life after coming to the conclusion of nihilism. I, like many others who have grappled with this realization, progressed from this bleak outlook to that of existentialism, a more positive view that accepts that life has no inherent meaning or purpose but goes on to declare a sense of liberation due to the fact that we are free from the confines of determinism (real or imagined). Existentialism asserts that as conscious beings who crave a purpose for living (a raison d'être) we must create our own meaning and purpose for our existence. The meaning of life to an existentialist is that which he or she gives to it. Some who come to hold the existentialist view progress further to embrace the philosophy of humanism.

Humanism is a form of existentialism that goes a step even further, it makes all of the declarations of existentialism but then states a method by which we may derive our ethics and how we can best provide meaning for our existence. A humanist has come to the conclusion that the universe and our lives do not appear to be divinely governed nor is there any apparent objective purpose or meaning for our existence but asserts that despite this we can ascribe meaning and purpose to our lives by helping one another and striving for a better future. A humanist has come to understand that there is nothing that compares to the positive feeling of knowing that you are making the world a better place than it would have been had you not existed. Humanists focus on the joy and pleasure that can be found in life in spite of the negative realities of existence and we draw strength from a sense of solidarity with others that comes from recognizing that we are all in this together. Corliss Lamont defined modern humanism in this way, "To define twentieth-century humanism briefly, I would say that it is a philosophy of joyous service for the greater good of all humanity in this natural world and advocating the methods of reason, science, and democracy."

Humanists base their morality on scientific reasoning and by focusing and relying on the more noble aspects of our psyches i.e. the human sense of empathy and compassion for fellow sentient beings. A simplified explanation of reason driven morality is based on the idea that actions that have a negative impact on oneself and others are generally immoral actions, those which have a positive or even a neutral effect are considered good (moral) or acceptable. Abraham Lincoln, who was often critical of organized religion, succinctly expressed this by stating, "When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion." The use of science is of utmost importance to humanists though we recognize that science alone will not gives us all of the answers or tell us what is always the best course of action; we must also rely upon our compassion for others, and all the varieties of human expression and thought. Humanists are progressive thinkers, we strive for a world of equals, free from wars of conquest and conversion; we are extremely concerned about our environment and developing better and more ethical ways to live together. Central to humanism is the need for enforcement of human rights and a genuine democracy by a well informed and educated public.

Humanism seeks to combat not only nihilism-inspired apathy but also the arresting influence of religion on cultural progress. This is apparent as we can see that humanism in our time is most concerned with refuting the continued surge of religious fundamentalism and extremism in an attempt to free our fellow humans from the bonds of intellectual slavery. Although I feel this is a necessary and noble aim I disagree with some of the tactics being used and I feel that too much of our energy and creativity is being directed toward evangelizing freethought instead of focusing on the positive attributes of humanist philosophy. Humanism will not stand a chance of usurping the dominance of religion if it cannot provide what religion currently does. We must offer an alternative to religion that eschews the negative aspects of religion but retains the positive: the humanitarianism, the social support network, and the sense of purpose. More than anything humanism must become a force for social change and social justice, for as long as we live in a world where there is widespread suffering religion will always be a tantalizing political tool for some and an opiate-like form of escape for others. Until we destroy the conditions that allow the alliance of nihilism, blind conservatism and religiosity to thrive we will constantly be fighting an uphill battle.

The History of Christmas

by Brian Ellis

The majority of Christians I have met know very little about the origins of the Christmas holiday, just as they know very little of the history and origin of their religion. The following is a short history lesson on the origins and history of the Christmas holiday.

Christmas which is widely believed to be the commemoration of the birth of Jesus was not always celebrated by Christians. In fact, Christmas (at first called the Feast of the Nativity) was not celebrated until the fourth century (300 some years after 33 CE - the year that Christians believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected), when the early Christian church created the holiday. The bible never mentions the date of Jesus' birth, so we have no way of knowing exactly when Jesus was born. Most historians and scholars suggest that Jesus, if he existed, would not have been born in the month of December. One of the main reasons that the date has been deemed improbable is based on scripture. In Luke 2:8 it says, "shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks by night." Historians note that shepherds only tended their flocks at night from spring to autumn, due to the harsh winter climate. But there was certainly motivation to designate the December 25th date as Jesus' birthday since many of the Christ-like savior deities that preceded Jesus also had that birth date, not to mention the astronomical significance of the Winter Solstice. * It is likely that the early Christian Church co-opted the December 25th date in order to make the Christmas celebration occur at the same time as the contemporary and popular Pagan celebrations of Saturnalia (a holiday in honor of the god Saturn) and Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the savior-god, Mithra, the invincible sun). 1 By making these celebrations coincide Christmas could subvert and eventually replace these Pagan holidays and this was mostly accomplished by 394 when the edict of Theodosius I outlawed Paganism in Rome. 2

Christmas in America

Christmas was not celebrated in early America and was even outlawed in certain areas for a time. Most of the Pilgrims that came to America were Puritans and they considered Christmas celebrations to be blasphemy. They knew December 25th had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus and that Christmas was actually a holiday invented by the early Catholic Church and that it had absorbed many Pagan traditions. Christmas did not gain popularity in the U.S. until the 1840s (thanks to Charles Dicken's stories) and was not declared a federal holiday until June 26th, 1870. December 25th was such an insignificant date in early America that Congress was in session December 25th, 1789, the country's first Christmas under the Constitution. 3

Modern Christmas celebrations are an amalgamation of Christian and Pagan traditions, Santa Claus folklore and mythology. Many of the Christmas traditions originate from the ancient solstice festival, Yule, celebrated by Germanic Pagan tribes. Decorating evergreen trees (originally called Yule trees but now known as Christmas trees), Yule logs, ham feasts, stocking stuffing, gift giving, caroling (started by ancient Roman Mummers), holly and mistletoe are all examples of Pagan traditions associated with Christmas. Ironically there is plenty of biblical scripture that admonishes believers not to involve themselves with any sort of Pagan traditions.

Recently right-wing pundits like Bill O'Reilly have popularized the idea of a war on Christmas waged by "secular progressives". O'Reilly believes that attempts to make the holiday season more inclusive, and thereby more enjoyable for everyone, are attempts to destroy Christian traditions and Christianity itself. These pundits are most likely unaware that Christmas is essentially a Christianized form of the Pagan Yule celebration and that their "besieged holiday" is not the anniversary of Jesus' birth. Nor do they seem to be aware of the biblical admonishments against boastful displays of faith or the fact that no one is attacking the freedom to celebrate Christmas or worship. I have to admit that I do find a bit of comical irony in watching or listening to sanctimonious Christians become incensed about the disappearance of mostly Pagan traditions from the public sector.

Secular Alternatives to Christmas

You do not have to be religious to enjoy Christmas and the holiday season. Christmas has became more of a cultural holiday than a religious one and many non-religious folks simply enjoy the time with family and friends and opt out of any overtly religious traditions preferring the mostly secularized holiday traditions. Humanist or freethought groups commonly celebrate the winter solstice (including Lincoln Secular Humanists). The winter solstice is a true celestial event, and a celebration of longer and sunnier days to come. In recent years the humanist celebration of hope and a brighter future, HumanLight – www.humanlight.org, has gained popularity. For a more irreverent holiday some choose to celebrate Festivus (for the rest of us), which was popularized by the sitcom "Seinfeld". Festivus involves erecting a celebratory aluminum pole, a traditional feast, an "airing of grievances" and the "feats of strength" in which the head of the household must be wrestled to the ground. And, of course the New Year's celebration is an entirely secular holiday and can be enjoyed by all. For a list of secular celebrations visit - www.secularseasons.org

Humanists do not wish to do away with Christmas or Christianity for that matter but would like to make sure that our government upholds the first amendment by keeping religious displays off of government property. We would also like to encourage a type of public atmosphere where everyone feels welcome and accepted, not one in which majority groups receive special treatment and acknowledgement. Humanists are unconcerned with the displays and celebrations that go on in the church or in someone's home. The use of neutral phrases like, "happy holidays" are not meant to detract from Christianity, they are only meant to be more inclusive and ensure that people of other religions and people without religious beliefs are not offended. In the spirit of the HumanLight celebration I look forward to a future in which everyone is free to practice whatever religion they choose or none at all and celebrate whatever holiday they wish comfortably; A future where overt religious displays on government property, which imply the government endorsement of one religion over another are not tolerated.

Sources:
1. "Pagan Christs" by Joseph McCabe, pg 10 – 13
2. "Theodosius I", Catholic Encyclopedia, 1912
3. http://www.historychannel.com/christmas
* Deities (and semi-deities) said to have been born on December 25th: Attis, Horus, Dionysus, Mithras, Hercules, etc.

Atheism vs. Humanism

What’s the Difference Between Atheism and Humanism?

Written by Brian Ellis, atheist, and more specifically, secular humanist...............

Although most secular humanists consider themselves atheists (or agnostics) the terms secular humanist and atheist are not synonymous. Atheism is nothing more than the lack of belief in a god or gods, the label 'atheist' tells you nothing about what one actually believes in or how they arrived at their conclusion. Atheism says nothing about ones belief in other supernatural conceptions e.g. belief in an afterlife, reincarnation, ghosts, spirits, leprechauns, etc., nor is there a unifying belief in atheism; atheists may be humanitarians or murderers, democrats or dictators. On the other hand the more specific term secular humanist means one who uses scientific reasoning tempered with a compassionate and empathetic respect for all life as a way of living, making decisions and understanding the world.

Since secular humanists base their worldview on science we naturally eschew dogma and belief in the merit of unexamined tradition. Secular humanists with their dedication to the scientific method are methodological naturalists. Methodological naturalism states that the universe is best understood by using the scientific method i.e. hypotheses should be explained and tested by reference to natural causes and events. There is no scientific evidence for the existence of anything considered supernatural or immaterial. Therefore, supernatural hypotheses such as intelligent design, which are by definition untestable and which forego the methodological naturalism of science are not considered viable hypotheses by secular humanists. Gods, in the traditional religious sense, are supernatural conceptions – secular humanists are either atheistic or agnostic about their existence. Secular humanists recognize that it is up to us to solve our problems and understand that prayer or appeals to a 'higher power' accomplish nothing other than catharsis.

Secular humanists are very concerned about the effect religion has on our world and want to promote an alternative to religious belief. We generally have a different approach than the 'hard-line atheists', who view religion as wholly evil and damaging. Although we may agree with this view in certain circumstances, as in the case of fundamentalist or literalist religious sects, we understand that religious belief is more nuanced than that and cannot be categorically vilified. We recognize that religion has been both good and bad throughout history and that religion may have once been necessary for humanity's survival. Religion also serves as a coping mechanism in many peoples' lives that helps them to deal with the pain we all experience in living – loss of loved ones, facing ones own death, disappointment, failed relationships, illness, etc. Although a religious person's belief may be false the joy and relief they obtain from their beliefs is very real – we do not wish to destroy this belief by ridicule and leave the ex-believer wounded, despondent and nihilistic. Instead we hope to replace their religious belief with a rational alternative that addresses the need for hope which we all have and which religion attempts to satisfy with only empty promises.

Secular humanists would prefer to live in a world where religious belief is less prevalent because we know that religious myths are no longer needed and that religion can be divisive and destructive and has definitely been so in the past. Despite this want for change secular humanists strongly support religious freedom – the freedom to practice whichever religion you choose or to practice no religion at all. We feel the best way to counter religiosity is by making our views known and accepted in hopes of appealing to those who have their doubts and are unsatisfied by their religion or those who have escaped religious indoctrination (by not being exposed to it or by resisting it). Secular humanists generally agree that a more ethical and just society would have less of a need for religion. The desperation of poverty and the lack of education certainly play a significant role in encouraging religiosity and often religious extremism and religious-inspired terrorism. One of the best ways secular humanists can promote the secular humanist lifestance is by working towards a better future, one in which people would be less apt to turn towards the irrationality of religion for comfort.

Because of our focus on empathy secular humanists embrace a progressive political stance that emphasizes democracy, egalitarianism, secularism (separation of church and state), and caring and providing for all of humanity, non-human animals, and the planet. Secular humanists count the members of liberal religious denominations among their allies. We believe working together with people who share common goals to be more important than whatever philosophical or theological differences we may have. Since we hold no dogmas humanists do not necessarily agree on everything, despite this, our shared method of coming to conclusions sees that we tend to agree on many issues. For instance members of LSH share nearly 100% agreement on many issues, here are some examples:

• Social justice/Putting an end to poverty
• Equal rights for homosexuals
• Gender equality
• Fighting homophobia and racism
• Abortion and birth control rights (reproductive freedom)
• Abolishing the death penalty
• Legalizing physician assisted euthanasia for the terminally ill
• Fighting mistreatment and stigmatization of the mentally ill
• Reducing incarceration rates of non-violent offenders
• Concern for the environment and reducing the harm being caused
• Concern for animal welfare
• Freedom of religion and from religion/Church and State separation
• The importance of a democratically controlled society
• Support for stem-cell research
• Free speech rights
• Equal access to adequate healthcare

In summary, secular humanism is more than merely disbelief in god/s, it is a ethical philosophy - a way to live an ethical and fulfilling life. It is my hope that secular humanist becomes a more widely understood and used label since it is more informative than the label of atheist or agnostic. ..............

Abolish Columbus Day

Why we should abolish Columbus Day by Brian Ellis.

Columbus Day is a federal holiday in the U.S. The United States honors only two men with federal holidays bearing their names, ironically one of them fought racism - Martin Luther King, Jr., and the other was a genocidal racist - Christopher Columbus. When we celebrate Columbus Day we are honoring a man who helped initiate the holocaust of the indigenous peoples of North America and its outlying islands. Columbus was a slave trader, and the captain who directly oversaw the enslavement, rape, pillage and slaughter of the native people he encountered on his voyages. Furthermore, Columbus never set foot in the land we call the United States or even North America, nor was he the first explorer to reach the New World. Columbus’ arrival in the New World was preceded by the Norse explorer Leif Ericson and possibly others. The true discoverers of the land Columbus encountered are the ancestors of the native peoples who were living here when Columbus arrived. In fact, Columbus never knew or claimed that he had happened upon land off the coast of a new, unexplored continent, he always believed he was in the Indies. It wasn’t until after Columbus’s death that Amerigo Vespucci demonstrated that Columbus had discovered new land. Unfortunately the education system of the United States has failed to teach the entire truth about Christopher Columbus. Most students learn the bland facts about Columbus - "sailed the ocean blue in 1492", "the ships were the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria," etc. but they do not learn about the murder, the torture and the spread of Christianity by the sword.


The truth about Christopher Columbus

Before making his voyage across the Atlantic Columbus made a living as a slave trader for the Portuguese, transporting people captured in West Africa to Portugal to be sold as slaves. In 1492 Columbus persuaded the king and queen of Spain to let him set sail in hopes of finding a shorter and faster western route to the Orient in order to procure gold and spices for Spain with the promise he would keep 10% of the profits. It is a myth that Columbus was attempting to prove that the Earth was round. The knowledge of the Earth’s spherical shape was widespread by the 15th century and had been understood by many academics and navigators since the 4th century [Source: Inventing the Flat Earth: Columbus and Modern Historians, Russell, Jeffrey Burton 1991, Praeger, New York, Westport, London 199]. What was not known was the exact circumference of the Earth. Columbus had greatly underestimated the planet’s size and this is why he believed he could travel west across the Atlantic and reach Asia more quickly. On his journey to Asia (which he never would have made it to), Columbus instead stumbled upon the Caribbean islands, which he believed to be the East Indies and mistakenly named the peaceful and generous Arawak (or Taino) peoples of Hispaniola "Indians". In his journal Columbus writes: "They... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned.... They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features.... They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane.... They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want."

The first thing Columbus did upon arriving was capture some of the natives and demand to know where the gold was (he knew there was gold around because the native people were wearing gold jewelry). Columbus wrote in his log: "As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts." In order to ensure the captured people would return with gold Columbus instituted a tribute system, it was simple but effective - every Taino over the age of fourteen had to supply a hawk's bell of gold every three months; those who did were given a token to wear around their necks as proof that they had made their payment; those caught without tokens would have their hands cut off with swords and were left to bleed to death [Ward Churchill, Indians Are Us?: Culture and Genocide in Native North America (Common Courage Press, 1994)]. After acquiring as much gold as he could and 500 slaves Columbus headed back to Spain, only 300 of the slaves survived the voyage.
This discovery set off a series of expeditions that Columbus was to lead in order to colonize the new land and acquire gold, slaves and anything else of value. Columbus was soon appointed as "governor and viceroy" of the islands and under his rule over 5 million natives were killed and millions more were enslaved within 3 years [Actual survey conducted in 1496 by Bartolome de Las Casas, cited in J.B. Thatcher, Christopher Columbus, Vol. 2 (Source: New York: Putnam Sons Publishers, 1903-1904), p. 348ff. cited in Churchill.]. The Taino population declined from 8 million (just before 1492) to 28,000 in just over twenty years – a 99% population decline. [Kirkpatrick Sale, The Conquest of Paradise: Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Legacy (NY: Plume Books, 1991) pp. 160-161].

Some of the best accounts we have of the atrocities committed against the indigenous peoples are those described by Bartolomé de las Casas. Las Casas, was a Spanish priest who emigrated with his father in 1502 to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Las Casas became well-known for his advocacy of the rights of the indigenous peoples, he wrote about what he witnessed in his book - The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account. In these passages Las Casas describes in chilling detail the brutality of the men under Columbus: "The Christians, with their horses and swords and pikes began to carry out massacres and strange cruelties against [the Indians]. They attacked the towns and spared neither the children nor the aged, nor pregnant women nor women in childbed, not only stabbing and dismembering them but cutting them to pieces as if dealing with sheep in the slaughterhouse. They laid bets as to who, with one stroke of the sword could split a man in two or could cut off his head…They took infants from their mothers' breasts, snatching them by the legs and pitching them headfirst against the crags. They made some low, wide gallows on which the hanged victim's feet almost touched the ground, stringing up their victims, in lots of thirteen, in memory of Our Redeemer and His twelve Apostles, then set burning wood at their feet and thus burned them alive." [Bartolome' de Las Casas, The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account (originally published in 1547) reprinted by Johns Hopkins Press, 1992. pp. 42-45]

"A Spaniard...suddenly drew his sword. Then the whole hundred drew theirs and began to rip open the bellies, to cut and kill [a group of Tainos assembled for this purpose] men, women, children and old folk, all of whom were seated, off guard and frightened...And within two credos, not a man of them there remains alive. The Spaniards enter the large house nearby, for this was happening at its door, and in the same way, with cuts and stabs, began to kill as many as were found there, so that a stream of blood was running, as if a great number of cows had perished" [Bartolome' de Las Casas, The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account (originally published in 1547) reprinted by Johns Hopkins Press, 1992].

"In this time, the greatest outrages and slaughterings of people were perpetrated, whole villages being depopulated...The Indians saw that without any offense on their part they were despoiled of their kingdoms, their lands and liberties and of their lives, their wives, and homes. As they saw themselves each day perishing by the cruel and inhuman treatment of the Spaniards, crushed to earth by the horses, cut in pieces by swords, eaten and torn by dogs, many buried alive and suffering all kinds of exquisite tortures... [many surrendered to their fate, while the survivors] fled to the mountains [to starve]" [Bartolome' de Las Casas, The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account (originally published in 1547) reprinted by Johns Hopkins Press, 1992].

In light of these atrocities and the near extermination of an ethnic group it becomes apparent that honoring Columbus with a holiday is tantamount to honoring Adolf Hitler with a holiday. I believe most Americans (once informed of the truth) would be outraged with the idea of honoring a genocidal slave trader with a holiday. So we must ask: why is Columbus day so widely celebrated in the U.S.? Historical amnesia caused by ignorance and the misinformation perpetuated by most American schools seems to be the best explanation. In order to respect human rights and denounce racism, genocide, and imperialism we must recognize that Columbus's legacy does not warrant celebration and inform others of the truth. Teaching students to think of Columbus as a hero and glossing over the realities of his conquest is wrong. It is time to get rid of Columbus Day, it is time for a change.

What can you do?

*Write your school board (feel free to include this article) and ask them to make sure their teachers are teaching their students the truth about Columbus.

*Print and distribute this article freely. Teachers, hand it out to students on Columbus day.

*Organize a public protest of Columbus day or a celebration of Indigenous Peoples day in your community and hand out information.

*Write a local representative about replacing Columbus day with an Indigenous People’s day

*If you live in Lincoln, NE, join us in protest of Columbus Day! The protest/demonstration will be held Monday, October 12th, outside the Federal building (15th and O Street) at 5pm.
Sponsored by the Lincoln’s Underground Network Collective

Ask a Humanist - Comfort from Humanism?

Ask a Humanist - Comfort from Humanism?

"What comfort do you get from your beliefs during times of loss?" – Question asked by a student at Doane College, after our presentation on secular humanism.

Brian’s answer:

First, I should clarify that secular humanists do not believe something simply because it provides comfort, we believe something to be true because it is supported by evidence. We do not see evidence for the existence of anything supernatural, therefore we have a naturalistic view of life and death. Comfort can be found in the naturalistic view. We accept that life is temporary and understand that death is the permanent loss of consciousness and nothing more. We do not have to fear whether or not we or a loved one will make it into heaven or be damned to eternal torment. We know that in death there is no suffering and those that have died no longer have to fight their illness or suffer their injuries. Although we do not believe in an after-life we know that people do live on in a way through the effect they have had on other people’s lives and the world. We can remember those we have lost and continue their life’s work, share their art or writing, remember their sense of humor, what we liked about them, and what they taught us. Despite the lack of evidence, some individuals may choose to believe in religious views of death because it makes them feel comfortable. It may make one feel comfortable to believe that when they die they will go on to paradise but these unfounded beliefs have proven to be dangerous - some religious people believe they will go to heaven if they are martyred or die in battle against non-believers. It goes without saying that religious views on martyrdom have often inspired war and terrorism. In a more insidious way, the belief in an after-life causes harm by pacifying people with hopes of a reward after their life is over, this belief may cause people to accept their suffering and bad living conditions instead of attempting to better their situation. Humanists are aware that this is our only life and we want to make this life the best it can be for everyone. The only way to do that is by working together and coming up with rational solutions for our problems.