The members of the SSA believe that by educating our communities, and ourselves we can make a better society — a society focused on reason, science, and human-based ethics.
There are many that say we are locked in a culture war. This may be true after a way of thinking. But if we stay focused on the metaphor of war, we are doomed to failure. Wars imply force used to control others. Force of persuasion is perhaps replacing the force of violence, but the essence of war is a lack of consent. We must not wage war upon those who seek to control us with force. Rather we must build a society where their tools of coercion are impotent. Reason, education and alliance building are our best tools. There may be times when force is called for. However, we must remember that the use of force is always a sign that something has gone wrong.
We must also remember that the vast majority of people that fear and oppose atheists, agnostics, Humanists, skeptics and other freethinkers do so out of ignorance. Many of them are already our personal friends, we just need to let them know who we are, what we think, and why. It is by engaging in dialog with them and building mutual respect that we will best achieve our goals. Now get to it!
“The late philosopher Isaiah Berlin believed that, rather than aspire to some Utopian ideal, a society should strive for something else; ‘ not that we agree with each other but that we can understand each other. In the end, the cultures that survive will be those that are willing and able to embrace the new ones on their terms, while rejecting anything that implies the total violation of their way of life’.”
To infinity, and beyond! (further organizational reading)
We hope that your group will change the world. We also hope that this book sets you off in the right direction, but we know that it really only scratches the surface. There are four very good books that you might find useful in making your organization truly exceptional. They are aimed at people who are trying to take on the world, not just run a student group. So don’t get caught in the trap of believing you have to do everything in them to have a great group. If you do 1% of what’s in them, you’ll be doing awesome.
Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-first Century by Thomas Wolf and Barbara Carter
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins