Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard & MIT's New Chaplaincy Associate-in-Training

Hello Humanist friends—a warm welcome to familiar company and those that are new to humanism! My name is Ki, and I’m honored to serve as the new Chaplaincy Associate-in-Training with the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard & MIT. This role was created in response to the growing need for humanist support on campus, which has only expanded in recent years. As a recent graduate of Harvard Divinity School, stepping into this position has been both exciting and nerve wracking. It’s exciting because I get to be a part of the humanist movement rising to meet the moment—calling out injustice and affirming that ethical living still matters—yet unnerving because living a life against the norm is often met with resistance. 

At the same time as starting this new job, for the first time in my life, I’m not a student. So much of my identity has been centered around school and being a student that now I’m grappling with the grief of transforming into a new version of myself. To add even more into the equation, this time of the year marks my rugby off-season. As some of you may know, I’ve had a decade long love affair with the sport of rugby that I have competed in competitively since adolescence. The off-season means that I’m also not training regularly with my team right now, which has been difficult to deal with as rugby is a significant source of personal meaning for me. Without the familiar structures of school and sports, I’ve been reflecting on just how much they’ve shaped my sense of community over the years. In their absence, I’ve found myself intentionally seeking out new ways that are particularly humanistic to establish more expansive forms of community for myself and others. Lately, that’s looked like joining a couple of philosophy reading groups, where I’ve been able to engage with big questions in good company. The philosopher I’m particularly enthused by at the moment is Fernando Pessoa, the Portuguese poet writer from the late 19th and early 20th century who is known for developing many distinct literary figures all of which provide interesting takes on how to live a good life. In a similar vein, I’ve also been connecting more with others and myself by going on nature adventures every weekend. I find being in nature to be a grounding way of being in relationship with the world around me. Hingham by the beach on an early Sunday morning and Fresh Pond in the late evening to watch the sunset are my recommendations!

So, whenever I’m feeling all the feelings in the new chapters I’m ushering in—like I am right now—I turn to being immersed in meaningful groups of community which exemplifies itself best in friendship relationships for me. I believe we are the best versions of ourselves when we spend time with friends who make us feel most like ourselves in all our human excellence, messiness, and everything in-between. As the poet John O’Donohue writes in Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom:

If you realize how vital to your whole spirit – and being and character and mind and health – friendship actually is, you will take time for it. The trouble is though for so many of us we have to be in trouble before we remember what’s essential.

Whether you’re also going through a life transition like me, in need of some uplift, or wanting to share in the felicity of community, I encourage you all to prioritize friendship. I want to get to know you more, so please reach out if you want to talk about all things life, friendship, and humanism through my email at kmahony@humanistchaplaincy.org. 

Sincerely,

Ki