News – Page 17 – Toronto Oasis, Secular Community

Sun Oct 24 – [Online] The Minds of Animals

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

Can animals think or feel? Can they remember specific events? Can they imagine or anticipate what they might encounter in the future? During the twentieth century most scientists subscribed to the view that animals were no more subtle than wind-up toys. In recent decades close behavioral observation, and recordings from animal brains have shown us some of the surprising capacities of animals. Scientists now think they are just beginning to understand some of the diverse intelligences among us.

Our featured speaker, Dr. Mark Reimers, will guide a whirlwind tour of recent discoveries about the minds of animals: from dogs to dolphins and from our cousins the apes to the alien intelligence of octopods.

Dr. Mark Reimers works as a computational neuroscientist: studying brain function by applying statistical methods to look for patterns in large-scale and high-resolution recordings of brain activity and behavior. He applies these methods to understand normal brain function in memory and to shed light on mental illness.

Dr. Reimers has worked at the US National Institutes of Health, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics in Richmond, and now does research and teaches at Michigan State University. His broader aim is to ground our understanding of feeling and thought in the facts of biology.

Dr. Reimers was the leader of the Richmond Humanists in Virginia for five years, and now leads the UU Forum in Lansing, and speaks frequently at humanist and science outreach events in Michigan.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccnbgc/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This meeting has been recorded: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gYUUp5VrNQKCFy_0VJciYlgL17xQ09W0/view?usp=sharing

Sun Oct 17 – [Online] Understanding Trauma

This Sunday our featured speaker, Dr. Kershini Naidu, will give a talk about trauma. She will start by helping us understand what trauma is – specifically the stress response (fight, flight, or freeze). She will then talk about how we ALL experience trauma on some level and that trauma is stored in the body through neuronal networks. Dr. Naidu will then explain how unresolved trauma leads to habitual life patterns that create chronic conditions but that we can move past our past (meaning we can resolve trapped traumatic experiences).

Dr. Kershini Naidu is a psychologist, classically trained and licensed by the State Board of Psychology in Ohio. Her research has led her toward various areas of interest in the past, however, her most recent area of interest is the study and treatment of Trauma.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccnbwb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Oct 10 – [Online] Trans, Non-binary, Gender Fluid, and the Great Pronoun Debate

Trans issues have been in the news in increasing numbers in recent years – and not always good news: for example, dozens of US states have banned trans girls from playing sport, and so-called “gender-critical feminists” in the UK have started transphobic campaigns. At the basis of these actions is, to borrow from Archie Bunker, the view that “girls are girls and men are men”.

Why is binary thinking so popular and so persistent, in the face of decades of scientific evidence that there are more than two genders? Why do pronouns matter? Our featured speaker, Helen Lenskyj, will be addressing these and other questions during this presentation and discussion.

Helen Lenskyj is Professor Emerita, University of Toronto, where she taught sociology. Helen grew up in Australia and has lived in Toronto since 1966. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in 1983, and was a professor from 1986 until retiring in 2007.

As well as writing books, Helen enjoys swimming and kayaking. Her website is www.helenlenskyj.ca; TWITTER: https://twitter.com/helenje63185798

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccnbnb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This meeting has been recorded: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oiGTBmPXwvfiiOwpBTw198aqdgMYA7ef/view?usp=sharing

Sun Oct 03 – [Online] Dealing with Death and Dying Without Religion

How do non-religious people grapple with the idea and reality of death and dying? In the face of the death of people in our lives, and our own looming death, how do we stave off nihilistic thinking: if we are all going to be snuffed out of existence, why does anything matter?

Religion has a clear answer to this question, namely, that we are not snuffed out of existence, that there is an afterlife. Many religions actually go further and claim that not only is there an afterlife, but that we will be judged in the afterlife by God for how we spend our time in this life. So, everything matters – not only do we have to survive until the natural end of our lives, we must do good, be good while we are alive.

For those of us who don’t believe in an afterlife and any religion, what reason do we have to care about anything? What narratives and reasons do secular people have to explain to themselves why anything matters?

Our featured speaker on this topic will be Laval Martin. Laval is a corporate trainer on topics such as resilience, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness (https://www.lavalmartinconsulting.com/). Holding a Master of Social Work degree, he also provides psychotherapy and relationship therapy (http://www.wisemindtoronto.com/).

Additionally, Laval has been hosting a monthly Beer and Philosophy Night since May, 2014. Meetup link to Laval’s Beer & Philosophy group: https://www.meetup.com/Beer-and-Philosophy-Night/

Laval has practiced various martial arts and self-defense systems since 2001, with a focus on avoiding and de-escalating conflict. He is a full-instructor of Senshido and also holds an instructor certification with Safe International.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccnbfb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This meeting has been recorded: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D_EQ-hDBCUkSVFj91uAZKGiO4iwKLWgp/view?usp=sharing

Sun Sep 26 – [Online] Me Too Is a Movement, Not a Moment

We will watch and then discuss a TED talk by Tarana Burke, an activist from The Bronx, New York, who started the Me Too movement in 2006. Helen Lenskyj, a Toronto Oasis member, will introduce the topic and help moderate the discussion. Helen is Professor Emerita, University of Toronto, where she taught sociology.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccmbjc/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Sep 19 – [Online] Let’s Talk About Dying

For our featured presentation this Sunday, Tim Mt. Pleasant, a Master of Philosophy Student focusing on Bioethics at McGill University, will facilitate a Death Café. Tim is currently approved for Fall Convocation, graduating from Ryerson University’s Honours BA- Philosophy degree program. Tim has worked for numerous years in Long-Term Care and Community Mental Health/Addictions. He has experienced, most significantly, the death of both grandmothers, which led Tim to previous participation in two Death Cafés.

Death Cafés are safe spaces to talk about death, dying and how that is conceived of by individuals who participate. Tim will introduce a 12-minute Ted Talk by Dr. Peter Saul of Australia, after which participants will be put in break-out rooms to discuss the narrative and preconceived notions of what the experience (or non-experience) of death entails, how we have experienced it with loved ones and how we might imagine our own encounter with it. The extended discussion will allow participants to come together to share, briefly, what has been discussed and what they take away from hearing the brief stories of others. Resources will be provided at the end for future death café’s that are available in various regions and resources for exploring information.

Tim Mt. Pleasant is a First Nations member of the LGBTQ2S+ and Disabled community from Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation; he has recently completed his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and is working on completing his Master of Philosophy degree with a concentration in Bioethics. His experience comes from work in the Long-Term Care (10 years), Mental Health/Addictions sectors (8 years) and Ontario Public Service. In addition, Tim completed a placement in the Bioethics program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre / University Health Network in Toronto, ON.

Tim is currently completing the MA: Philosophy (Bioethics) – Thesis program at McGill University, with a broad range of research interests.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccmbzb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Sep 12 – [Online] Resilience: Where Does It Come From and How Do I Get Some?

This Sunday our featured speaker will be Kristen Gane. She will discuss the nuanced topic of resilience by exploring the protective elements and risk factors that create or impair our ability to meet life’s challenges and carry on. What fosters resilience during childhood and what threatens it? As adults can we address gaps in our resilience toolkit and continue to grow and develop strengths as we navigate through life? Join us this Sunday for some ideas and simple strategies.

Kristen is a Registered Psychotherapist (with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario), a professional member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association and the Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists. She is also a freelance writer and an artist.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccmbqb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Sep 05 – [Online] A Journey to Authentic Living

We will watch and then discuss a TEDxJerusalem talk by Yiscah Smith, a Jewish transgender woman, who had been ultra-orthodox for many years, before starting to work towards transitioning at age 50. Dan Cooperstock, a Toronto Oasis organizer, will be introducing the topic and leading the discussion.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccmbhb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Dan has provided his powerpoint presentation here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PVu-28ptD3DGI0fauySNjCSOk_8SwmKy/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109653132821260096038&rtpof=true&sd=true

Sun Aug 29 – [Online] Be Accepting and Be Accepted

This August, in place of our featured presentations, we will have discussions on our five core values, focusing on one each Sunday. At the moment there are 13 Oasis communities in North America. All of them, including our own community, Toronto Oasis, are founded on these five core values:

People are more important than beliefs.
Reality is known through reason.
Meaning comes from making a difference.
Human hands solve human problems.
Be accepting and be accepted.

What do these values mean to each of us? How similar or different are our interpretations of what they mean? Are there limitations and exceptions to the “rules” implicit in each of these values? Should the wording of any of these values be modified to better communicate the underlying core value? Let’s discuss!!

This Sunday we’ll focus on the core value: Be accepting and be accepted. Toronto Oasis volunteer, Paul Kaplan, will introduce the topic and moderate the discussion.

Our guest musician will be Fairy J. Fairy J is a multi-disciplinary artist and performer, choreographer, musician, intuitive healer, mentor and mother. She believes that art is a portal to the divine and in that she is in a constant investigation around how her work can create more space for healing.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycclbmc/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Aug 22 – [Online] Human Hands Solve Human Problems

People are more important than beliefs.
Reality is known through reason.
Meaning comes from making a difference.
Human hands solve human problems.
Be accepting and be accepted.

This Sunday we’ll focus on the core value: Human hands solve human problems. Toronto Oasis member, Helen Lenskyj, will introduce the topic and set us up for the discussion.

Our guest musician will be Reenie Perkovic. Reenie is a queer folk-pop artist. With a soulful edge, she composes heartfelt songs that are both fun and introspective. Infusing her classical background with jazz harmony, folk rhythms, and pop sensibilities, Reenie and her guitar weave together stories of the human condition, connection, and social justice.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycclbdc/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!