Core Values for “Being in Love with Life”

1.  We can immortalise and eternalise ourselves by the excellence of the effortful work we do and the example we set.

2.  We should pursue a free and responsible search for truth in order to know and we find meaning in life. We are invited to ask about each idea, "Is it reasonable and responsible? Does it make sense in terms of what is currently now known?" This is not to suggest that we do not also learn and gain insights from intuition, hunches, flashes of inspiration, even emotion or unexplainable experiences. It’s only that when making important decisions that will affect others and ourselves it befits us to test our perceptions against reality. (NB. The individual elements examined: freedom - nothing ties us to any particular belief or idea until we have discovered it ourselves; responsible - the duty to use sound reason, the results of science or credible research, compassion and intellectual discipline to find answers about life; search - the ongoing quest for that which defines us, individually and collectively, the way to live and to be; the quest for truth - that which speaks to us with the force of reliable facts and reality; and meaning - that which gives us the sense of virtuous purpose and worthy position in life.)

3.  We should gain insight about life from many lives, cultures and teachings for nothing is forever fixed, nothing is precast, and human possibilities are at once unlimited and infinite.

4.   We have the power within ourselves to realise the best we are capable of as human beings. We should therefore find the better self and try to become the best person we can be.   

5.  We should value many deep expressions of the power of human imagination and novelty by appreciating creative arts and performances, e.g. dance and music, drama and theatre, poetry and literature, sculptor, etc. We should realise that creativity is best nurtured in a climate of freedom where innovation is esteemed. This will encourage us to explore and express our own aesthetic and sensual side and to open our hearts and minds to the fullness of life in all its aspects.

6.   We are responsible for what we do and what we can become. “Humanity will learn to face the crises of life in terms of its knowledge of their naturalness and probability. Reasonable and humanly attitudes will be fostered by education and supported by custom.” We should therefore need to emphasize human capabilities, i.e., the capacity to reason; adopt the scientific method to search for truth; and promote the right of all humans to develop their fullest potential.  

7.   We are inter-dependent as human beings and there is an intricate connection of all humanity of which we are a part. We should therefore celebrate and show our affirmation of life in this world by working for the betterment of fellow human beings and nature.

8.   We should nurture the feeling that we have the potential and freedom to experience and enjoy life and explore ideas. We should seek “the way to determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry” and that “experiences instead of beliefs, must assist in the formulation of hopes and plans in the light of the scientific disposition and method.”

9. We should encourage ourselves to use our minds, to question even the seemingly obvious and to trust and even interrogate our very own instincts, judgements and experiences.

10. We should honour reason and encourage integrity. By ourselves, we should think for ourselves, to explore, challenge, and doubt; to approach the important questions of life with an openness to new ideas and different perspectives; and then to test these ideas against reality, filter new knowledge through our own active mind, and believe according to the evidence.

11.  We are connected to the world, the pulsating rhythms of the cosmos and everything therein. This means our well-being and our very existence is based on our sense of wider relatedness with all the people and the universe. This requires us to work for a sound environment and a humane civilization.

Derived from "The Faith of a Humanist" (1996) and “Reasonable Religion” (2004) by Sarah Oelberg

"Cast not pearls, treasure them"

1. The Divine is an eternal, immortal and infinite life sustaining cosmic force or energy within the universe (macrocosm) and ourselves (microcosm). The Divine is that sublime experience within and an indwelling urge in every expression of life. Such a Divine has many names and people and cultures relate with the Divine diversely and uniquely. Therefore, there is no one way that should invalidate or constrain the other.  

The Divine as a life sustaining cosmic force or energy ('élan vital') beyond the concept of Time and Space and it is called "Prana" in Sanskrit, "Chi/Qi" in Chinese, "Mana" in Polynesian, "Ki" in Japanese, "Pneuma" in Greek, "Chayut" in Hebrew, "Spirit" (breath of life) in theology, "Energy" in science and "Cosmic Energy" in secular philosophy. The literal translation is the original meaning of Latin ‘spiritus,’ which means "breath" "air" or "spirit.”

Therefore, the Divine is the vital energy and active principle found within all living things.

Mencius (a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself) described "Chi/Qi" (life force) as an individual's vital energy, which is necessary to activities controlled by one's willpower. Since it is natural, it can be augmented by "means of careful exercise of one's moral capacities" (Mencius, 2A:2, quoted by Wikipedia).

2. All human beings are the highest form of bearers, means and vehicles of the dynamic universal life sustaining cosmic force or energy. Therefore, when we recognise, acknowledge and affirm such divinity in every human being, we respect, preserve and nourish human life without regard to circumstances of birth, conditions of upbringing and economic means or social privilege.

3. The dynamic life sustaining cosmic force or energy is individualised in each human being as the “Essential, Real or True Self” or Divine Self. We esteem the Divine Self as the chief Goodness, Truth and Beauty in our lives with regard to the sublimity of character, attitudes, aspirations and relationship with other fellow human beings. When we reduce the Divine as a humanoid being, we practice idolatry while we perceive the Divine as our puppet who will do anything as we wish, desire and commands.  

4. Meaning to human life is purposefully lived when the “Essential, Real or True Self” or Divine Self is discovered without the burden of divisive and conflictual doctrines and dogmas, and by the avoidance of submissive or cultic tendencies (unquestioning obedience, complete subservience and excessive devotion).

5. The innate or natural divinity of every human being should be acknowledged and respected as the diverse expression of the Divine, the life sustaining cosmic force or energy. We should therefore see and consider that it's the One (Life Force) in All (human beings and all life forms) and All in One.

6. When one has discovered the “Essential, Real or True Self” or Divine Self, he/she develops and grows his/her own abilities (natural or acquired) to dispense the highest, best and greatest glory and exaltation or the worst gloom, terror and brutality to oneself and to others.

7. Until we are at our upwards and onwards best, greatest and highest, the divinity within is a mere latent capacity, ability and a possibility. The divinity in us should invoke "feelings of loyalty, family, love, embrace, care, nurture, and endurance."

8. Our life purpose is to effortfully discover our fullest potential, realise our full capacity and live a life of integrity or moral rectitude, contentment and service. The more we awaken ourselves to our greatest, best and highest nature and as we live, move and have our being, the more fully the cosmic energy expresses in and through our lives.

9. We deeply connect and relate with the Divine, the life sustaining cosmic force or energy, during personal moments of contemplative silence and during the fight against odds or pains, obstacles and weaknesses so that we can heighten our transformative self-awareness through imagination, innovation and creativity to actively become better.

10. Naturally or on their own, the Physical and Mental Planes can be rude, rough and raw if not tempered with a very close relationship with the "Essential, Real or True Self." This means that at lower levels of consciousness, humanity can prefer an easy, comfortable and short-term alternative if given an opportunity like a stone down a hill or water along a slope. To avoid and minimise the weight of professional and technical incompetence and ethical lapses, functionally sound structures and institutions should be built and nurtured.

11. To be a human being is not measured by religious submission, compliance, rituals or spiritual practices. It is defined and anchored by the effortful excellence of our character and the positive impact of our productive work in our own lives, to those who depend on us, to fellow human beings and to nature. While beliefs may augment our thinking and behaviour, it is ultimately our own conscience of goodwill or moral discernment that should guide us as we grow and improve the meaning and purpose to life.  

Therefore, for humanity to discover, reach and manifest its own Higher or Divine Self, it needs abilities through the painful, difficult, narrow and effortful path.

We are made of a dynamic Divine, the life sustaining cosmic force or energy