News – Page 9 – Toronto Oasis, Secular Community

Sunday June 11th – [Online] The Split in Our Psyche

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. You can join in to the meeting starting at 10:30 am for our open social. After 12:30 pm, we will also have an extended discussion for half an hour, until 1:00 pm.

The people of the Indo-Pak subcontinent (Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh) have a deep-rooted internal conflict in their psyches. It comes from having two sets of roots in their heritage. The first set of roots are the indigenous heart-based spiritual traditions that date back 9000 years. The other set of roots, more patriarchal and formal, come from people who migrated to the subcontinent starting about 3500 years ago. This inner conflict shows up in the lives of people from the subcontinent, whether they live in the subcontinent or are part of the diaspora.

In his presentation this Sunday, our featured speaker, Dr. Kamran Ahmad (https://drkamranahmad-4d.com/), will describe this inner conflict – its historical origins and the nature of the conflict. He will also point to how this split corresponds to aspects and tendencies of the human psyche in general. It is a topic he has written about in a book he co-authored in 2020: Two Candles of Peace: Dialogues on Peace and Spirituality on Personal and Global Levels.

Dr. Kamran Ahmad has worked as a Clinical psychologist for almost three decades, mostly with the United Nations, over five continents. He also holds a Masters and a Ph.D. in Spirituality from California and has authored books on Spirituality and Gender. His passion remains teaching at various universities and, as a social activist, conducting sessions for youth at Mehergarh (https://mehergarh.org/) and other organizations.

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/293695344/

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

This meeting has been recorded: GMT20230611-153550_Recording_1920x1080.mp4

Sunday June 4th – [Online] What is Gender?

For our featured presentation this Sunday, we will be watching and then discussing a YouTube video about gender by Dr. Brian Earp, a philosopher, cognitive scientist, and bioethicist based at the University of Oxford in England. The video was suggested by Srishti Hukku (our featured speaker on May 21st) in response to a question asked during the Q&A after her talk at our meeting. The topic and video will be introduced by Tania Akon, a Toronto Oasis organizer.

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/293549540/

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

Sunday May 28th – [Online] The “Miracle” of Language: A Wonder More Talk

Our featured speaker will be Ann Norman. Here, in her own words, is a description of Ann’s talk:

“I will talk about the “miracle” of language, a phenomenon we often take for granted. We can appreciate language with fresh eyes by considering Thai, which is spoken on the opposite side of the world (from Toronto or Pittsburgh) and appears to have evolved completely separately from English, until recent times! Those unfamiliar with Asian languages will be surprised at how completely different from English a language can be, from sounds and overall structure to the particular mapping of concepts onto words. (Imagine a language with no exact equivalent of “yes” or “you”!) While my talk may challenge naïve preconceptions of how a language must works, it will highlight the evolved nature of all language, including English. How did early humans bootstrap themselves up from individual sounds to complicated language? I suspect that language is built from metaphor on top of metaphor on top of metaphor.”

Ann learned to speak Thai while working in Thailand for two years in the mid ‘80s. Twenty years later, she relearned the language, and learned to read Thai in order to translate the songs of her favorite band, Carabao, into English. From there she was recruited into the Thai prodemocracy movement, and served as the Executive Director of the Thai Alliance for Human Rights for two years. She is now on the board of Act4Dem (Action for Democracy). She has two websites where she posts her English-language translations of favorite Thai songs (about 440 songs total); has done published translations for Way Magazine, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, iLaw, and Add Carabao; and continues to do translation for various Thai prodemocracy activists. For many years she was an (English-language) assistant editor for AEA Publications and more recently has been a preschool teacher and Amazon worker.

This Sunday we will also be having live music! Our featured musician will be Kathryn Merriam. Described by audiences as ‘other-worldly’ and ‘transcendent’, Kathryn Merriam’s songs interweave melismatic melodies with soaring lyricism, evoking flavours of Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush. Accompanying herself on the guitar and harp, Kathryn explores the intersections between folk song tradition and mystical music – making subtle observations of the human experience, and musing on reality, perception, meaning, healing, and purpose. You can check out her music here: https://soundcloud.com/kathryn-merriam

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/pkdtctyfchblc/

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

This meeting has been recorded: GMT20230528-152443_Recording_1920x1080.mp4

Sunday May 21st – [Online] Social Justice, Women’s Rights, and Humanism

This Sunday, our featured speaker, Srishti Hukku (@srishtihukku) will lead a compelling discussion titled ‘Social Justice, Women’s Rights and Humanism’. Srishti is the youngest and only racialized accredited Humanist Chaplain in Canada. Srishti is also a Humanist officiant providing a range of ceremonies from child/adult namings to weddings to celebration of life services. Srishti is also a cotutelle doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa’s Population Health program and the Medical Anthropology program at Macquarie University in Australia, exploring the intersection between the future of sexual and reproductive health issues and secular public policy.
#Humanism #Humanist #Humanists #Secular #Secularism #SecularHumanism #SecularHumanist #Atheists #Atheist #Atheism #AtheistCommunity #AtheistsOfInstagram #WomenOfColour #ConversationsThatMatter

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/pkdtctyfchbcc/

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

This meeting was recorded: GMT20230521-153850_Recording_3072x1920.mp4

Sunday May 14th – [Online] Racism Has a Cost for Everyone

We will be watching and then discussing a TED talk by Heather McGhee, the author of The Sum of Us. The video was suggested and will be introduced by Dan Cooperstock, a Toronto Oasis organizer. Dan recently finished reading McGhee’s book which he describes as a really good book about racism and the zero-sum mentality.

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/pkdtctyfchbsb/

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

Sunday May 7th – [Online] Imposter Syndrome

We’ll be watching and then discussing YouTube videos talking about the psychological phenomenon known as imposter syndrome. The videos were selected by and will be introduced by Tania Akon, a Toronto Oasis organizer.

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/pkdtctyfchbkb/

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

Sunday April 30th – [Online] Censorship and the Suppression of Knowledge

Our featured speaker will be Michael Dorman. Michael received his B.A. in Anthropology from McMaster University in Hamilton and trained to teach English and French as second languages. He taught French to grades 7 & 8 for a couple of years. Michael has a passion for languages with French and Spanish being his second and third languages and he has studied Italian, German, Portuguese, and Latin. Michael is interested in language in general.

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/pkdtctyfcgbnc/

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

This meeting has been recorded: GMT20230430-153340_Recording_1920x1080_EDITED.mp4

Sunday April 23rd – [Online] The New Artificial Intelligence

Why is there so much excitement and hand-wringing about new generative AI bots like ChatGPT or MidJourney?

In the first part of his talk, our featured speaker, Dr. Mark Reimers, will outline how generative artificial intelligence works, how these systems have passed the long-standing Turing test for human-like intelligence and whether these systems can really be regarded as sentient.

The second part of the talk will discuss how these A.I. systems are likely to improve over the next decades and how they seem likely to up-end our politics, education systems, and human relations.

Dr. Mark Reimers is a quantitative neuroscientist at Michigan State University working to elucidate how dynamic brain activities give rise to mental functions and moods. 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.

We will also be having live music this Sunday! Our featured musicians will be David Woodhead and Terry Jones.

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/pkdtctyfcgbfc/

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

This meeting has been recorded: GMT20230423-152719_Recording_1920x1080.mp4

Sunday April 16th – [Online] Thinking Again

We will be watching and then discussing a TED talk by Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The topic & video, about rethinking and unlearning, will be introduced by Tania Akon, a Toronto Oasis organizer.

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/pkdtctyfcgbmb/

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

April 9th – [Online] Prism Sanctuary

Prism Sanctuary (PS) is an organization that describes itself as an LGBTQIA+ focused religion. They do not worship a deity. They celebrate the love of one’s true self and identity as a human being. This Sunday, our featured speaker will be Dr. Sam Costa, Ph.D., secretary on the board of PS, to tell us more.

Here’s a link to Dr. Sam Costa’s blog:
Dr. Sam Costa’s Space – Just your average genderfluid, chronically ill scholar writing about their experiences. (wordpress.com)

We will also be having live music this Sunday! Our featured musicians will be Kira Braun and William Beauvais.

William Beauvais has been teaching, performing, composing, recording, and improvising music for over 40 years. He has written music for harpist Sharlene Wallace, baritone Doug MacNaughton, and has performed with New Music Concerts, and Tapestry New Opera. You can check out William Beauvais’ music here: https://soundcloud.com/william-beauvais

Kira Braun, Soprano, has been singing her whole life, but only recently began as a professional soloist about 5 years ago. Since that time, she has performed in numerous operas, concert appearances, and solo recitals. With pianist Peter Krochak, Ms. Braun has released 6 CDs of Classical Art Song. In the past two years, Kira has performed at Koerner Hall, and most recently appeared at Roy Thomson Hall with the Salvation Army for their Christmas spectacular. Her specialty is Oratorio, as she loves to sing the classic works of Handel, Haydn, Mozart and more. Her website is: https://kirabraunsoprano.com/home

Please RSVP on meetup to get access to the Zoom link:

https://www.meetup.com/toronto-oasis/events/pkdtctyfcgbmb/

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

This meeting has been recorded: GMT20230409-152736_Recording_1920x1080.mp4