At this workshop, held on 18 May 2024 at OnePeople.sg, we grapple with existential questions: “Who are we?” and “Where did we come from?”
The two hour workshop was an examination of our past, wherein we dived deeper into the foundations of our current society.
It consists of 2 segments:
The first portion of the workshop delivered by our Asst Secretary Jan, who proceeded to deliver a succinct but information-laden speech on the pillars of modern society, shedding light on the infrastructure that sets us apart from our societal counterparts in ancient times.
Guiding us through a deep dive into the various components of a nation state: Defense, Legislation, Education, Industry, Finance, Health, Culture and Democracy, our focus is directed to the systems we need to defend for a safe and prosperous nation, and we are informed of the threats posed toward them.
As Humanists, it is our prerogative to keep these pillars that preserve our human well-being safe and secure.
Sree then, zoomed out, explaining to us the history of everything. We zoom out all the way from our current day, to the Big Bang, finally culminating in the question of “Why this all matters”. As we learn, through his speech, to appreciate just how far as a race, and as the only life in our local observable universe we have come, finally, we discuss the merits and cons of nihilism, and discussion after brought on the concept of “Optimistic Nihilism”, a view where we choose our values, our meaning, and afford ourselves self-forgiveness, for our mistakes are not eternal.
All in all, a technical session, nuanced and rife with clarification and disagreement, leading to learning for all.
