How Humanists respond to tragedies and why Humanists don't go public with our grief. Created by Jennifer Hancock, Humanist and founder of Humanist Learning Systems.

1. How Humanists
Respond to
Tragedy
Why Humanists Don’t Go Public
With Our Grief.

2. 1) Shock &
Horror
Our first response is
shock and horror
that something so
tragic could have
happened.

3. 2) Grief
We start to enter
the grief phase.
This involves
accepting the loss
of life as tragic as it
is and lots of crying
and frustration.

4. 3. Frustration
We understand that
everyone grieves
differently, but the
outpouring of religious
sentiment is difficult for
us because it confuses
us & interferes with our
grief. It also reminds us
that we are outsiders
and that our
expressions of grief are
unwelcome.

5. 4. Console
We don’t speak
out because we
understand grief
is personal.
We don’t want to
score political
points. We just
want to grieve.

6. 5. Critical
Thinking
We like to wait to find
out what happened
before pontificating
on what we might do
in the future to avoid
another tragedy.
Facts improve
problem solving
tremendously.

7. 6. Resolve
Among the directly
affected are Humanists
and other non-religious
individuals.
They need us to be there
for them as a community
and to create space for
their unique grieving
needs within the context
of the national
expression of grief.

8. 7. Wish for
the Future
That somehow we
can transcend the
bloodshed.
And when tragedy
occurs, that the
non-religious among
us can be
embraced without
feeling like we are
imposing on others.

9. Prepared by Jennifer
Hancock, Humanist
http://humanistgrief.com