Humanism

One of my interests is fed by taking for a year or so this or that publication, magazines and newspapers that I believe are excellent in the context in which they are designed, so to discover the various ways in which thoughtful writers and publishers advance the objectives of their publications.  In the digital age these have survived because they have an audience, and they advance their purpose to help their readers improve themselves in accents made by the publications.  The publications have included a number of titles:  The Wall Street Journal, Time, The Atlantic, Smithsonian, AARP, local newspapers, and others in a spectrum of interests including business, archaeology, academic journals (especially in philosophic and theological interests) and the list goes on in changing subscriptions, even O written to women.  I pass some of them on, and seek opinions of them from persons sophisticated sufficiently to latch on to meanings.  For my illustration today, on an aspect of humanism, I am using the O Magazine of Opra Winfrey.  At this writing Winfrey has become one of the richest women in the world working hard in communications achieving early success in television, and from whose program other popular programs have spun off.  She is spiritually oriented but is something of an every person in her approach, advancing this or that affirmative approach, and keeping something of an objectivity, but also an implication of recommendation for this or that activity, belief, identity to find solutions and happiness in eclecticism for general life benefit.

That said, it is with some trepidation, but friendly in heart to Winfrey, I submit this truncated critique.  The quality of her publication is superb in its production; there is an excess of advertising but the reader can pass over that receiving more pages than the subscription rate would need for justification; some of the advertising is sexually suggestive but often in a stylish and artistic way; the basic appeal is to a female audience, but men contribute to several helpful articles that have general usefulness.  In the conclusion the magazine points in the direction of a humanism of performance and adaptation for effective mortal life.  The ideas are drawn from various sources so that the magazine can be said to be eclectic in purpose – taking perceived good from whatever is available.  It becomes a smorgasbord of appeals and suggestions to the better side of mankind to raise the quality of mortal life personal and social.  Its presentation is stylish.

I am here referring to an article in O’s December 2013 edition: Connections, with a sub-title Main Squeeze. A short paragraph introduces the article: A cheerful, tireless Indian guru named Amma is on a mission to comfort all of humanity. Meredith Bryan finds out why millions of people around the world are flinging themselves into her arms.  Bryan’s story of her experience with Amma is clear, and has probitive force in that she felt reluctant about what she saw and heard from the Amma and the entourage of persons with her.  The ethos of Bryan is strengthened in that she admits to being a drop-out from Mormonism that would find the Amma ministry largely extraneous from Mormon theology, practice and lapsed background.  She recites the experiences for herself and others in engaging the embrace and simplicity of Amma.  The use of a statistic like the engagement of Amma with 33 million persons presents a problem in that if Amma has been engaged in her mission for forty years she has given about two thirds of a minute to each person in contact, and there has been no time for rest and sleeping, eating, comfort stops, or anything other than a passing hug and a word in the fleeting moment.  There has to be more careful accounting for the assertions of how Amma can spend time, sometimes days with one person.  An hour was awarded to an entrepreneur in America.  During a question period only two questions were taken, receiving uncertain responses.

In common grace there have been many persons in history who have addressed the yearning for peace, for self-recognition, for love, for the meaning of empowering touch, the firm inspiration of caring, the ecstasy for moments of love accenting the individual in a mass context.  Seldom is there God closure, but the spiritual illusion is offered from somewhere.  It is likely that persons practicing meditation or yoga can achieve the objectives noted by the author.  Lasting fulfillment relates to more than mortal intercession.  In God’s identity in Christ, in acceptance of his offering, and closing in it, there is found maturity and peace.