“Humans, Nature, and the Eclipse of the Sun”

In the past solar eclipses have generated fear and been seen as evil omens. Thanks to science, humanists know that an eclipse results from the ceaseless ticking of our celestial clockwork. But while we no longer cower in fear when darkness descends at noon, we may fail to appreciate the humbling lessons of an eclipse. How can we better appreciate the beauty and awe nature offers? How can learn from our environment how to act less like masters of nature and more like stewards of earth?

Hugh Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. His presence in Ethical Culture has been termed “invigorating.” Taft-Morales lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife Maureen, a Latin American Analyst with the Congressional Research Service, with whom he has three beloved children, Sean, Maya, and Justin.