WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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The choices that I've made in my life to
become a celebrant, and then to

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work for Humanists UK as the Head of Ceremonies,
are very much driven by the belief that

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people having the right ceremony for
them, that is in accordance with their

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belief structure, is of profound
significance. Not only in terms of making

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for a much more authentic, integrated,
ritual or ceremony but also for a healthier society.

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I'm a human celebrant
largely because I'm fascinated by people

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and I'm fascinated by what matters to people,
and so it gives me a really privileged

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insight into how different people in
different situations think. What they

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value, how they articulate that. And
it gives me that opportunity to keep

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understanding more about about the world
and those around us.

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I feel I have deepened my own understanding of
what it means to be human

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and, therefore, what does it mean
for me to be a human. As a result of the

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times that I've been entrusted to spend
with the families and the couples and

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the individuals that I work with, and I
feel I've, in many ways, I've

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gained more than I've been able to offer,
and it's undoubtedly the most satisfying

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thing that I do in my life.

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I do it because it makes
me feel better about me.

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Every time I come home from doing a
ceremony I feel better, and I walk into

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the house and hug my partner and tell
her how much I love her, because it makes

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me feel like that.

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I'd say that pretty
much every celebrant has very similar

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and very different answers to the
question of what is it that makes you

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want to be a humanist celebrant. An
interest in people, a fascination in the

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individual stories in 
which we all contain

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and a desire to be able to share them.
I have an old-fashioned belief that

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storytelling is probably one of our
greatest gifts as human beings. Not

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because they're necessarily flights of
fancy or imagination but because they're

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the ways that we get to communicate with
one another. By sharing stories we become

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familiar with each other, we understand
what we have in common. We also get to

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celebrate what our differences are, and
being a humanist celebrant

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absolutely encapsulates understanding
and inquiring into all of those things.

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And so, the thing which gives me the
motivation is to help people find their

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stories, to be able to find the words and
to be able to find a way to access the

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emotions and certainly to be able to
find a way to create the moment that is

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so important to them.

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So now that I'm Head of
Ceremonies, I don't get the

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opportunity to take very many ceremonies
anymore, unfortunately, and I say

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unfortunately because, being a humanist
celebrant is an incredible privilege and

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a wonderful experience. Not only do you
get to witness some extraordinary

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aspects of humanity, and courage in the
face of tragic situations and

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circumstances, and joy and wonder, but you
really get to communicate on a

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profound level with so many different
types of people from all walks of life.

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And I always came away from a ceremony
feeling very fulfilled, very connected, and replete.

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It's a funny word to use but
it engages all parts of you

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as a human being, I think. Intellectually,
physically, emotionally. And so it's

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a tremendously fulfilling role if you
like people. It's a very human thing to do.