Embracing our Fear, Courage, and Love
In Pursuit of a Just Community
12th Annual Conference
The Society for Humanistic Psychology
Oregon State Universiy
Corvallis OR
March 21-24, 2019

In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As we seek to build a just community for all to live, work, and strive in peace, we must first seek to answer the question “How do we create such a society?” Research by Aly and Green has shown fear as a key factor that creates discord among individuals, groups, culture, and religions. Therefore, embracing our fear challenges us to understand ‘the other’ in his or her true humanity. To face our fears we must embrace courage. Courage is the strength to act on our beliefs despite disapproval, grave danger, pain or grief.  Often when we find courage we also find heroes who touch our hearts deeply with gratitude and admiration. As tennis player and social activist Arthur Ashe noted, courage ‘is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. Our desire to ‘serve others’ is primarily rooted in Love. As Mahatma Gandhi believed, “Peace between countries” and therefore our communities “must be based on love between individuals.” Please join us in 2019 at the upcoming 12th Annual Society for Humanistic Psychology Conference. Let us, together, honor our quest for a just community by embracing what we fear with great courage and abundant love.