Welcoming The World

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Screen capture: Humanity Project website visitors

Just take a good look at that photo above -- it's a screen capture from December 19, 2017, two days ago as we post this blog. Or glance through a similar photo below, snapped only moments ago. These are representative pics that show us something new: We now know that people from all over the world regularly and frequently visit our Humanity Project website. 

Wow, how cool is that?! India, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, China, even Syria among many other countries whose citizens visit us. 

Yes, we've long understood that our reach is broad. Of course we connect with many folks in our own area here in South Florida and all over this state as well as around the United States and Canada. We also have heard from lots of people over the years from a variety of nations around the globe. But until now, we didn't know how many other people from Asia and Europe, from South America and Oceania/Australia and Africa use this Humanity Project website. A new analytics app from our friends at Squarespace, which hosts our site, shows that humans spread throughout the planet watch our videos, read our fables and blogs and other free writings. They listen to our music and check out our podcasts. They learn from our programs. The videos and fables especially are popular. 

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This is exciting news to us. We've always envisioned the Humanity Project as an organization that could enable a broad range of people to help themselves through helping others. Our kids do this by helping other kids. Our Board of Directors, Leadership Council, members, donors, volunteers, supporters, social media followers -- all gain in some way or other through applying the shared value philosophy created by Humanity Project Founder, Bob Knotts. It's an empirically based concept grounded in solid psychology, the main idea being that individuals feel better about themselves by treating everyone else with unconditional respect. You can read more about shared value at this link: Read the Shared Value essay. 

But until now, we didn't know for sure that so many diverse populations derive so much inspiration and information from our free website. 

This is all we can say to each of you who read this, to everyone who visits and gains anything of value from the Humanity Project. Thank you! Thank you so much ... and welcome! We're so glad you're here. 

The Moral High Ground

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Amid the violence and the hostile rhetoric, amid the disrespect and distortion of facts, the Humanity Project remains committed to our three core values: respect for all as well as the importance of diversity and self-worth. We teach these values to kids through our acclaimed programs, we work hard to practice them in daily life. But we see these values under attack. The United States is going through a highly challenging period just now. We have no doubt that in the end sane voices will be heard above the harsh din. We all will be okay. 

What seems more uncertain, though, is how long this attack will persist and how much suffering it will cause before greater respect prevails. As a nonpolitical and nonreligious organization by law, the Humanity Project is not preaching politics here. What we are doing is calling for everyone who shares our values to unite in a peaceful and yes respectful movement. Indeed, we have long felt that a movement of this type is needed worldwide -- a large group of people joined in a common call for respect as a foundation for meaningful dialogue, a solid base for improving our civilization. Fine groups and small movements of all kinds exist already, of course: They ask us to work together for compassion, for peace, for a better environment, for fair wages, for gender equality, for the right to love and marry whoever we choose. But surely underlying all those significant goals is a more basic prerequisite: respect. Respect for self, respect for all others. Without this, it's hard to make progress in other areas. 

With that in mind, then, we offer one more suggestion to those who might be sympathetic to a broad movement for respect. If these attacks on respect and decency continue for long in the U.S., we must consider a new approach in response. Nonviolence. No group that hopes to sway opinion within a modern society can hold the moral high ground by answering violence with rage or with more violence. No matter how understandable and justified such a response may feel. Gandhi, King and other great moral leaders -- they understood that nonviolence changes minds far more effectively than street battles ever can. We must as a nation, and as a world, find new ways to hold within us a fundamental respect for every human being. Even for those who want to harm us. That's not submission, not giving in. As history proves, it is the highest, most courageous and most persuasive form of resistance. 

Our Fund: Making A Difference

By Bob Knotts, Humanity Project Founder

I wanted to offer a more personal blog to our readers today. It's about bullying, about disrespect as a social issue ... and about an important partner that helps the Humanity Project to diminish these problems. 

Our Fund is an LGBT community foundation based in Wilton Manors, Florida, one of the nation's premier LGBT-friendly cities. This extraordinary organization has just partnered with the Humanity Project for a second consecutive year in our continuing efforts to stem school bullying and to encourage greater respect among both students and adults, whether in school or out in the world. Toward that end, Our Fund has awarded the Humanity Project $10,000 for 2017, part of $106,000 handed out to many fine nonprofits at a special presentation this week. We can't thank Our Fund enough for this assistance. 

At the Our Fund 2017 Spring check presentation, New River Fine Art Gallery

Because we take this sponsorship money, and this cause, very seriously. At a time when bullying is on the rise again, in a period of history when disrespect is rampant in our society and right-wing ideas are regaining traction among a broad swath of people around the world, effective and innovative anti-bullying programs are more necessary than ever. Bullying, disrespectful behavior of all kinds -- they leave scars on children's psyches that never go away. The LGBT community is disproportionately affected by this problem. So Humanity Project programs do more than simply fight bullying. They also teach respect for all, the importance of diversity and the value of self-worth to young students, helping them to appreciate the humanity of every person.

And this is where a more personal story comes in. As a child, I was bullied in ways that I feel to this day. I was harassed, hit, humiliated ... and harmed emotionally. I felt alone. I felt something was wrong with me. I liked the other kids, so why didn't they all like me? I couldn't understand and, not understanding, I blamed myself. Remember, this was long before cyberbullying, decades before weapons in school became sadly common. It is much worse today. As a result of my childhood trauma, I carry personal experience with the pain of bullying and disrespect by my peers. These memories help to motivate me to fight ever harder, with even more innovative and effective methods, as the Humanity Project works with Our Fund to help build a more respectful society. I know the entire Humanity Project Board of Directors, Leadership Council and our volunteers feel the same way. We are committed to doing all we can to make sure every child feels he or she is valuable. In that work, we couldn't ask for a better partner than our remarkable friends at Our Fund.