Stepping Into the (Human)Light
Most holidays I celebrate because I’ve always celebrated them. That’s not to say that these occasions aren’t important to me, or that I don’t like them anymore, but if I’m being honest, I have to admit that they’re in my calendar out of habit, maybe mixed with a little bit of nostalgia. It’s not a bad mixture, necessarily, but the older I get, the more I’m finding that the things I do “just because”, without intention of reflection, are getting a little faded and frayed around the edges. Maybe it’s true that holidays are mostly for kids, or that we’re commando crawling our way through a particularly non-festive part of our history, but I’m not feeling particularly connected to the usual set of traditions at the moment.
So, I’m going to give something new a whirl. This year, on top of all the usual stuff, I’ll be celebrating HumanLight. If you’d like to take a second to Google it, I’ll wait.
Good? Okay. So, you’ll see that it’s a humanist holiday. As the name suggests, it focuses on our “light”, in a metaphorical sense, and is appropriately placed shortly after solstice. You’ll also find that aside from a date, and a general sense of meaning, there isn’t really a specific way to celebrate it. You don’t have to buy anything, put up decorations, do loads of baking, or exchange gifts. There aren’t designated songs or stories to go along with it, no cartoon characters, no legends, or customs. You can celebrate it in any manner you see fit.
And what, you ask, are we celebrating then? Well…humans, specifically, the good parts (yes, we still have good parts). HumanLight is a celebration of our capacity for reason. It’s a recognition of empathy, creativity, and community. It’s an opportunity to pause and remember that although we often act like we’re overcaffeinated, overtired, and stuck in a perpetual temper tantrum, we’re capable of so much more.
Yup, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there is good stuff to work with here. Humans aren’t stupid. If we want it, we have tremendous intelligence, resourcefulness, and ingenuity. We have big, beautiful feelings from which to draw. There are a whole lot of us, and despite outward appearances, we’re capable of coming together and taking care of one another. Presently, we also have the sum total of human knowledge and discovery available to us on wee magic rectangles, 24-7. So much to work with.
I have no idea how I’ll celebrate HumanLight this year, or any year from here on in. I don’t have long-standing traditions from which to draw, no instructions, no authority figures. I think that’s kind of the point. A holiday commemorating human potential should probably encourage free will, autonomy, and critical thinking. Maybe I’ll read poetry, listen to some really clever tunes, watch a piece of cinematic genius, or marinate in some words of wisdom from brilliant minds. Probably I’ll give considerable thought to how I can put what the universe gave me to good use. I’ll celebrate peace, love, and bright ideas, wherever I can find them.
I’ll celebrating with intention, and not just go through the motions. I’ll reassure myself, as I do all year long, that myself and my fellow homo sapiens are more than just bald apes with cell phones and bad attitudes. I’ll hold as my mantra “There is a crack in everything. It’s how the light gets in.” (Leonard Cohen). I will, as the name of this holiday suggests, look for the sparks, the glimmers that we emit from time to time, in spite of ourselves.
May we all find our light.