Greetings from Stan Horwitz, AEU Vice-President,

We have a new president in the Oval Office, which many people, including me, find unpalatable. The consolidation of power in the hands of just a few people, some of whom have not been elected by our democratic process, presents challenges to us as Ethical Culturists.

Those of us serving on the AEU’s board are also seeking to make significant progress towards fulfilling our mission of focusing on human goodness and building ethical relationships with each other. As a non-theistic organization, let’s remember that we do not concern ourselves with the existence or non-existence of a deity but instead embrace the diversity of our membership. We must also respect the diversity of opinions on the direction our nation and the AEU should take.

Recognize our Unique Worth
In keeping with the AEU’s mission, we need to recognize the worth and dignity of all people, not only regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sexual identity, economic status, our abilities, and religious beliefs, but also on their political views. This means we need to LISTEN to one another. The need for respectful and effective communication is becoming more important than ever! Not just in the world outside of the AEU, but also with member societies. Our AEU officers and Board members need to improve our communication with everyone possible, including those in the Union Societies who hold a different perspective on how the AEU board operates. We need to extend that communication to the larger world. We need to recognize everyone’s unique worth. Many of us find it all too easy to forget that how we interact with each other within the AEU and its member societies is of vital importance.

Advocate for rational thinking
As members of the Ethical Culture movement, we need to consistently advocate for thinking that embraces reason and compassion so we can improve ourselves, as well as improve our communities in and outside of our Ethical Culture family. We should resist the all too human urge to expect others to be more perfect than we are.

Elicit the best in others to elicit the best in ourselves
As we encounter more people in the coming year who oppose the ideals we stand for, let’s try our best to elicit the best in those people so we can be the best we can be. This is especially true for the members of the AEU Board as we navigate new and changing cultural and political situations within the AEU and beyond to the political institutions in Washington, DC.

Realize the full capacity of the human spirit
The results of the November 5th election were a big hit to my human spirit. You may feel the same. So let’s promise each other that we will seek to strengthen our spirit together by doing our best to build each other up as well as individuals with whom we disagree. We can only realize the full capacity of our human spirit when we do the same with as many people as possible within the AEU, its member Societies, and the world at large.

Ethical Culture as a religious movement
As a follower of the Ethical Culture movement, I have encountered several people who ask me if Ethical Culture is a religion. It sure is a religion! Ethical Culture embraces US — humans living in an interconnected and interdependent world — rather than focusing on any deity. That is what sets us apart from mainstream religions. We are not anti-theistic. We accept that good people can believe in a god, so we can welcome everyone into Ethical Culture, including theists, atheists, and the “spiritual, but not religious.”

This allows the AEU and its member Societies opportunities to create safer spaces for people who believe in any deity, with the only criteria for inclusion that they agree to support Ethical Culture’s mission, which does not speak to holding a belief in any deity. Ethical Culture is not at odds with any theistic religious movement. I like to think of Ethical Culture as a religious movement for everyone. This applies to our approach to navigating the changing world within the AEU and beyond because we all agree to respect each other for the differences that make us and our beliefs unique even if we don’t agree on everything. With this in mind, it means those of us who are Ethical Culturists can be open to listening to and respecting people regardless of their belief or lack thereof in a deity. We cast a wide net.

Let’s train future humanist leaders to promote responsible and ethical living
Let’s never lose sight of the fact that as Ethical Culturists, we need to embrace a deep commitment to training people to be future humanist leaders, specifically to promote responsible ethical living and to sustain our religious movement. Doing that is challenging, not only within the AEU, but in the world around us. This training starts with eliciting the best in others so we can learn to be our best. We need to start this culture of education within the Ethical Culture movement and then move outward.

In closing, I encourage you to try to elicit the best in me, not just as AEU’s vice president but as a fellow human being. With that in mind, please know that I am happy to talk with you. To reach out to me, please email me so we can schedule a time to talk and build each other up.

Best wishes,

Stan Horwitz

American Ethical Union
Vice President