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Rational Day of Thought May 8 As
National Day of Prayer began gathering steam, Jo Ann Mooney, then
the Director of the Alliance
for Secular Humanist Societies, suggested that the non-religious
community have a National Day of Thought as an alternative. Amanda
Chesworth, then the Director of the Campus
Freethought Alliance changed one itty bitty letter and coined
the phrase Rational Day of Thought. Though the holiday has yet to
be celebrated widely, it offers an alternative holiday to counter
National Day of Prayer and to propose the notion within our marketplace
of ideas that perhaps a day of thinking would be far more beneficial
to society than a day of praying. As Annie Gaylor, of the Freedom
From Religion Foundation, remarked "nothing fails like prayer,"
and indeed we can show that it has not been prayer that has solved
the problems of the world nor contributed to the progress of civilizations
from the dawn of time - it is thought. Thinking has proved time and
time again a much more effective and worthwhile endeavor than prayer.
Should we spend our days in prayer or thought? Clearly our goal should
be to encourage others to think more and so with this then, human
beings around the world** are invited to celebrate the Rational Day
of Thought annually on the 8th of May.
**(Another benefit to changing one itty bitty letter is that the celebration is not limited to the U.S. but can be promoted throughout our global community.) Rational Day of Thought Activity Suggestions: Get Media Attention There are several ways that you can get a bit of media attention that will help to promote the ideas behind Rational Day of Thought within a larger audience. Press releases and action alerts can be effective especially if the event is presented as a protest or demonstration. Put on your Thinking Cap You don't have to belong to a group to celebrate Rational Day of Thought! Check out Godless Creations' Thinking Caps and consider donning them for the day as you go about your daily business. If you don't want to buy the pre-made caps, just make your own by cutting out the thought bubble on Styrofoam or thick cardboard, connect it to a hair band or hat with a wire and write a caption in such as THINK, I AM THINKING, or RATIONAL DAY OF THOUGHT. The Thinker's Annual Banquet During the 18th and 19th Centuries, thinkers of all sorts would gather together at each other's homes or in coffee shops and meeting halls to discuss the subjects and social issues that were of interest. Ideas were proposed, theories explained, poems and literature recited and a good time was had by all. The overall purpose of the gathering was to provide an intellectually stimulating conversation for all. Do the Thinker Pose Gather all of your friends together, line them up in a prominent area within your community and do the thinker pose. Invite others to join you as well or to just stop by for a moment of thought. Get a Polaroid and sell pictures of people posing with the line of thinkers in celebration of Rational Day of Thought. For additional publicity opportunities, consider having a "moment of thought" on the hour, every hour where people stop what they're doing and immediately get into the thinker pose for a moment of uninterrupted thought. For the other 59 minutes in the hour, distribute information and take part in other activities. Distribute Thoughts Grab a stack of blank business cards and place a "thought" on each and then distribute them widely within your community. You can purchase pre-made thoughts through Godless Creations as well. Quotes, discoveries, inventions, philosophical statements and historical lessons make great fodder for the "thought." Also consider "thinker" cards or like the skit from Monty Python "conversation starters" that can be distributed as a part of an activity to stimulate thought between pre-assigned partners or groups. Mind puzzles, riddles, problem-solving and other activities that require thought can also be placed on cards and distributed.
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