As Non-Believers... If that is what we are calling ourselves
today... If we are brought up in a "believer" household; once we are
able to comprehend life's journey and understand the direct impact of our
decisions, we go through what seems to be our own death. We go through our own
death to enlighten ourselves to the reality of what nature has given us.
For those of us who have been through a tragic loss of a
loved one, the healing process of death is a long and at times, a very lonely
one. First it is the fear of stepping out in the world alone, seemingly for the
first time. We are missing something and try our hardest to find it to make
life go on as normal as possible. I think the "fear" stage was the
shortest stage for myself. I remember feeling if I did not think about the
nonexistence of a god, I wouldn't be punished and my family wouldn't either.
For the longest time I thought I was the weird one among my family and friends
for not believing. Now it is the opposite. They are the weird ones. I know now
that I am the right one through my own hard earned reality. Making my own
waves, my own footprints in the mud... Not necessarily needing anyone to tell
me how to think, just needing someone to point me in the direction of the
information to make up my own mind. The fear of being wrong due to ignorance
was what the fear was all along. Once my basic questions were being answered in
my personal quest for answers, the fear turned into happiness.
Happiness in being able to realize and somewhat comprehend
life's secret. My life's secret is laughing, loving and learning. Doing that as
much as possible our one and only shot here on this ball of iron and granite. I
think about all the billions that came before me and laid down the track for us
to live so expressively, somewhat carefree. Our ancestors had to think about
predators and where to find their next meal. All the while, only laughing and
loving every once in a while. Our lives are somewhat different. We are more
able to laugh and express ourselves more artistically than those that came
before us, or in some countries, we are lucky to live on a continent so free of
expression. I think Atheists forget that today in England and North America we
are free to state out loud our science beliefs. We can speak out loud a theory
that we have learned about. We can say, "No gods, No masters" without
being an outcast, beaten, discriminated against, and killed. I think we forget
the struggles of those who came before us so we can have this freedom as we do
today. I think that we forget that people are still being persecuted for having
a website such as this one. I know my book collection alone would get me and
all of my family killed in just about every country in the Middle East. Today
we have would-be Atheists and Atheists who remain quiet and willingly ignorant
to the information at their fingertips.
Which brings us to the next step of Atheism, my personal
favorite... Anger. Anger is the reason for ALL revolutions. Anger is the reason
for the beginning to ALL new ways of thinking. I do not think our adrenal
glands are as big as they are for no reason at all. We are a part of the animal
kingdom. It is our communication that separates and allows us to become
renegades... contrarians. Anger is a gift that is rejected or embraced by us. I
myself, I embrace anger. I use it to fuel my passion for learning and making my
own path in this world of ours. Anger and intellect will guide me to my own
opinions and theories about life through my own experiences. Anger and
intellect will give me my own reality through diligence and intestinal
fortitude that only I can afford myself. I always try to find a lesson to learn
through life's experiences. Recognizing my own personal fact that we never make
mistakes, only life lessons. A mistake will kill you, a life lesson always
teaches you something no matter how big or small.
Then there is closure. Some Atheists have closure quicker
than others. I believe some Atheists never attain closure. Honestly, I hope I
never have closure with this issue. I enjoy learning about other's
superstitions. I enjoy learning about the ways of our ancestors and why they
believed and how that belief supposedly brought humanity to this point.
Christians and other religions go through what they call a rebirth. I believe
we as Atheists go through our own death. We deal with the death of our
"soul" so that we can live, love, laugh and attain true reality and
happiness.
“Anger is a gift”
-Zack de la Rocha
I look at the "death" as the death of all the indoctrination I went through. Being able to kick that aside and bury it was one of the great freedoms of my life. I had to learn to also live with the alienation of most of my family members, but even with that, the truth and freedom made me feel better about myself and the world. My outlook on life was 100% better.
ReplyDeleteRE:No gods, No masters" without being an outcast, beaten, discriminated against, and killed.
I would say that yes, we are no longer beaten and killed in this country (although it HAS happened)...such as in the killings of the abortion doctors. But, we are still discriminated against and we are still outcasts to most of the population....at least in this country. This is my main agenda as far as being part of and working in the atheist/secular humanist community......to be able to command respect and not be considered second class citizens or perverts!....and to demand implementation of separation of church and state. (This is not completely happening at this time.) I don't care what anyone believes or what religion they have...as long as they give atheists the same respect. BUT, of course, the very tenets of Christianity are against this. And, this, for me, is where the anger or frustration comes in.
I meant to add that to me "life's secret" is in how we create meaning and value in our lives.....in the joy of learning, in helping others, the joys of good health, physical and sensual pleasure, the joy of honest work, the joys and the richness of music, art, literature, and being able to enjoy a free mind. Don't forget the joys of nature and wildlife......all the joys of the human experience. And this doesn't depend on mysticism nor dogma.
ReplyDeleteOur lives are as meaningful as we choose to make them, and as Dawkins would say "just the fact that we are here is miracle enough for me".