radical humanism

Dannielle Blumenthal, Ph.D. June 26, 2015

All opinions are my own and do not represent those of my agency or the federal government as a whole.

By the grace of G-d & With His continual assistance

What will we do?

destroy oppression

why bother?

“We’re here to die, just live and die….nobody gives a damn….We’re gonna destroy ourselves, nothing we can do about it….Life is nothing.”

- Jose Martinez, taxi driver

let’s try that again.

“We share a collective spirit...that encompasses & goes beyond individual life forms.”

- George Lucas, film producer and director

“Our essence is perfect love.” - Kenneth Ring, investigator of near-death experiences

“What gives life meaning is sharing.” - Naima Jody Sherwood, massage therapist

“We must be there for those in despair.” - Alma Lyons, bookkeeper

what b.s. who cares?

Movie: Mad Max: Fury Road Message: “We are not things. We are not things!” Worldwide box office (as of 5/15/2015): $346 million

Video: Helly Luv, “Revolution” Message: “We’re so much stronger as one” - we can fight ISIS together and win. Worldwide views (as of 6/24/2015): 1 million+

Public Figure: Pope Francis Message: No bulletproof glass keeping him from people. “It’s in the hands of G-d.” Attendees to Mass on Copacabana Beach, Brazil, July 2013: 3 million

Event: Protest against police brutality & the shooting of Freddie Gray, Baltimore, MD, May 2015 Message: Humans united against injustice Amount of Support: 40 cities from coast to coast across the USA

so what? what is new about greeting the Pope? about a bunch of

protests?

...because something has

changed.

...the walls betwen public and private are falling down

...we demand that authority reveal

itself to be human

...we feel fellowship with those who reveal

their innermost shame & pain

...we honor those who take the monumental

risk of being themselves

...we stand with those who call bullshit on hypocritical notions

of “goodness”

...we are drawn to those who tell us to

remember the forgotten

we feel compelled to do something

...do anything ...because everything matters

we are joining together across worlds

to make a measurable difference

Organization: Thorn Mission: End online sexual exploitation of children Founders: Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore Supporters: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Twitter + more

we all have to work.

we can start at work.

Google, 2015: ●  #1 place to work in America ●  #3 most valuable brand in the

world ●  Brand value: $65.6 billion

1.  “Trust the people you work for

2.  Have pride in what you do

3.  Enjoy the people you work with”

— Robert Levering, Co-Founder, Great Place to Work

What makes a workplace great?

●  Starbucks ●  Brand #52 ●  Worth $10.5 bn ●  4 yrs full tuition ●  Hiring 10,000

disprivileged youth

What makes a workplace great?

What is the alternative?

What is the alternative?

What is the alternative?

“Wealth is a great thing to have & a great thing to share.” - Harold Honickman, businessman and philanthropist

DON’T BE EVIL. DON’T BE THE DEVIL.

DON’T BE A JERK.

be human

By the grace of G-d & With His continual assistance