Why I am a Humanist

I am a humanist—

not because someone whispered it in prayer,

not because a scripture commanded it,

but because my own heart

refused to bow before chains of fear.

I looked at the sky,

and it was vast enough without gods.

I looked at the earth,

and it was rich enough without heavens.

I looked at people,

and I saw hunger, love, sorrow, laughter—

and I knew, here lies the sacred.

I am a humanist—

because I cannot believe

that birth decides worth,

that caste is destiny,

that some are pure, others impure.

These are lies stitched into tradition,

and I have torn them apart with reason.

I am a humanist—

because compassion is truer

than any temple’s flame.

A hand stretched to feed,

a word spoken with kindness,

a fight against injustice—

these are my rituals,

my prayers, my holy offerings.

I am a humanist—

because freedom of thought

is the breath of the soul.

I will not surrender my mind

to borrowed certainties,

nor my conscience

to priests of power.

I will question,

I will doubt,

I will seek—

and in seeking, I will grow.

I am a humanist—

because every child,

whether born in palace or hut,

deserves the same dawn of possibility.

Education is my temple,

reason is my scripture,

and dignity is my god.

I am a humanist—

because life is brief,

and that brevity makes it precious.

We do not need eternity

to make our days meaningful;

we need courage to live them well,

to love deeply,

to build justly,

to leave behind a little more light

than we found.

I am a humanist—

because I believe

that the true miracle is not in heaven,

but here—

in the smile of a child,

in the resilience of the poor,

in the wisdom of age,

in the fellowship of free minds.

I am a humanist—

and in this stand,

I am not alone.

The river of humanity flows beside me—

those who broke chains,

those who questioned,

those who dreamed of a world

where people are judged not by faith or fate,

but by the measure of their humanity.

This is why I am a humanist:

because I choose life over dogma,

reason over superstition,

love over hatred,

freedom over fear.

And with that choice,

I am endlessly alive.