RBH Book Club
Thursday, December 5, 7:30 pm
James: A Novel – Percival Everett
Contact: Linda Montgomery:
montbaar@comcast.net.
HumanLight
Saturday, December 7, 6:30 pm - 9 pm
Womans Club of Red Bank, 164 Broad St 07701
Join us for a Fortified Potluck Dinner and a celebration of Humanist values at the turn of the year.
Bring a dish to share. There is a microwave, but the oven/stovetop is not available. I will bring a second microwave oven for heating.
RBH December Forum
Sunday, December 8 10:30 am - noon
Womans Club of Red Bank, 164 Broad St 07701
The Hedonic Treadmill
Group Discussion
The illusive nature of the pursuit of happiness
• What are have you striven for?
• When you got it, did the satisfaction last?
• Is it possible to be fundamentally happier?
• Can we be happy with less?
Studies of happiness have shown a mixed picture. Most people seem to have a happiness set point and return to it after temporary disruptions due to major gains or losses in their lives. Yet some people do report lasting changes in happiness.
RBH Book Club
Thursday, January 2 (may be postponed to Jan 9 at the December book club meeting, check next eNews), 7:30 pm
Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny
Contact: Linda Montgomery:
montbaar@comcast.net.
RBH January Forum
Sunday, January 12, 10:30 am - noon
NEW LOCATION
Shrewsbury Historical Society, 419 Sycamore Ave, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702
RBH Board Meeting
Wednesday, January 22 7:30 - 9 pm
Zoom session
Any member welcome to attend.
Contact: Eric Seldner 732 996 9670
RBH Discussion over Drinks
Thursday, January 30, 8 - 10 pm (not planned for December)
Informal Discussion
in-person at The Oyster Point Hotel
meet in the lobby behind the elevators
bar service available on site
no obligation to order a drink.
More events:
https://njhn.org/eventscalendar/
https://secularstudents.org/webinars/
https://americanhumanist.org/get-involved/events-and-conferences/
Do you have news or an upcoming event that you would like to share in eNews?
Do you have a suggestion for a forum speaker or topic?
Call or Text Eric on 732 996 9670 one week prior to the beginning of the month to get your item into eNews or at any time for suggestions and feedback or to volunteer.
Here is Lee Beaumont's list of Ideas for Action, followed by his compilation of ideas contributed at the November Forum:
Preparing for Trump 2.0
—Ideas for Action, Leland R. Beaumont lelandbeaumont@icloud.com
1. Take care and give care
a. Grieving, venting, listening, contemplating, planning, acting
b. Compassion, emotional competency, mindfulness, equanimity
c. Disengage at will
d. Seek first to understand (listening), then to be understood (candor)
i. Practice dialogue
ii. Advance no falsehoods; “Let’s fact check that”
e. Seek real good. SeekingRealGood.com
i. Remain true to your well-chosen values (Live the virtues)
ii. Remain true to your well-chosen moral reasoning (Impartiality)
iii. Strengthen community
iv. Transcend conflict
v. Find common ground
vi. Serenity Prayer
1. Know what you can change and what you cannot change
2. All things must pass – impermanence
3. Focus on what matters
2. Join Indivisible Indivisible.org
3. Join ACLU ACLU.org
4. Strengthen support for Secular organizations
a. American Humanist Association AmericanHumanist.org
b. Freedom From Religion Foundation FFRF.org
c. Secular Coalition for America Secular.org
d. Americans United for Separation of Church and State AU.org
e. American Atheists Athiest.org
f. Center for Inquiry CenterForInquiry.org
g. Recovering From Religion RecoveringFromReligion.org
h. …
5. Understand and advocate for Final Five voting
6. Meet with your financial advisor
a. Explore various scenarios
7. Read:
a. On tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
b. Misbelief, by Dan Ariely
c. Age of Grievance, by Frank Bruni
d. The Reactionary Spirit: How America’s Most Insidious Political Tradition Swept the World by Zack Beauchamp.
8. Live wisely
Other resources:
1. 10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won
2. Links to make you feel less hopeless
3. Why identity is at the center of American politics.
Ideas from other Members:
1. Support Humanist
2. Support non-profit media, including NPR, PBS, The Guardian …
3. Take time to “cultivate your garden” (Candide) (See below)
4. Support environmental groups
5. Support science
6. Support adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment
a. Join the Era Coalition eracoalition.org
b. Take the actions they recommend
7. Buy (as needed) a new car before the tariffs go into effect
8. Support marginalized groups including immigrants, LGBQ+, people with disabilities, …
9. Stay curious, ask questions, seek understanding
10. Maintain hope.
11. Be kind.
12. Keep learning.
13. Stay alert to the actions of Vladimir Putin, and other strong men.
In Voltaire's Candide, the phrase "cultivate your garden" is a powerful metaphor that appears in the novel's closing lines. It suggests a philosophy of pragmatism, personal responsibility, and focus on tangible action over abstract theorizing or passive optimism. After a long journey filled with suffering and disillusionment, Candide and his companions find themselves disenchanted with philosophical ideals, particularly Pangloss’s unwavering belief that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.”
Through “cultivate your garden,” Voltaire advocates for an approach to life that emphasizes self-reliance, productive work, and attention to one’s immediate surroundings. Rather than attempting to solve the world’s vast philosophical questions or hoping for a utopian future, Voltaire implies that true contentment is found in focusing on practical, achievable actions in the here and now. Gardening, in this sense, symbolizes attending to one's personal responsibilities and contributing meaningfully to one’s community or environment.
By the novel’s end, Candide realizes that happiness and fulfillment come not from grand ideas but from working steadily to improve the small part of the world he can influence. Thus, the phrase serves as Voltaire’s critique of passive, idle philosophy and a call to engage with reality, cultivate resilience, and create meaning through concrete actions.