Let's say you've lived at least a couple of decades, you've examined the options, and you've arrived at atheism.
Well.
Here you are.
What do you do now?
Let's say you then spend a few years trying to rescue other humans from what you (not they) regard as stupidity.
Ok. Then what?
What can you do that is positive?
Are there any specifically atheist 'values'?
Are there any specifically atheist charities that endeavour to improve the plight of individuals?
(I don't think I've heard of any. Whereas religious charities there are thousands.)
Well, it's up to you. What next?
Preferably positive.
As usual, Plumjam refuses to get it. Wrapped up in his own narcissistic realm, he bleats on about how the
Atheist is either a waste of time and flesh, or how there is no further meaning for the
Atheist's "pathetic" excuse for a life. It's condescending, and it's offensive.
Last night, I had dinner with two people from this board whom I enjoy reading and for whom I have nothing but deep respect. Normal Dude is a student at UC Davis, entering into the field of molecular biology, with an emphasis on neurological biochemistry, (hope I got that right!), while Hokulele works as a trainer in computers and computer science, particularly with the software her company produces. We're talking of people of accomplishment and courage, something which is increasingly rare in a society which seems to be leaning more and more towards slackers and egotists, people who try to use Fate as an excuse for everything from their own cowardice to their well entrenched bigotry.
As we talked, one thing kept coming up: There was so much that we did not know. At one point, Normal Dude mentioned that in one particular field, there was so much unknown to deal with, it was actually exciting. Hokulele answered that saying that in her astronomy classes, they'd point to something and say, "We don't know that that is." Her answer: "Cool!"
See, this is part of what it means to be not just an Atheist, but a Skeptic. You don't flee the unknown; you go towards it, hoping not only to learn from the familiar, but from the unexplained. Your goal isn't just to take pleasure in the unusual, but to ultimately find out if the Great and Terrible Oz is just some dude hiding behind the curtains in the throne room.
It's simply another way of saying that some of us take greater and greater pleasure in admitting what we do not know than in our insistence that we know more than we do. We have matured in our lives, and take joy in recognizing that there's so much more to do, and equally, so much more we have to offer as our lives progress. Frankly, I find there's greater joy and meaning in that than I ever did as a "saved, sanctified, and justified" Christian, secure in my "knowledge" that I would endure in Heaven once I died. In fact, I find that latter element sad, because ultimately, I would only find "meaning" in my life once I had died and could offer nothing more to society.
I find I can do great things in this current stage of my life. If there's an "Atheist Value" to be found, it's the knowledge that my time here is short, and that what benefit I can offer to society needs to be given today, and not set aside for later when I'm nothing more than a memory. While I am well aware of scores of Christian/religious charities, I'm also well aware of the vast number of them who suck down voluminous amounts of cash for "administrative expenses." (I should note that the Randi Foundation seems to operate pretty much on the cheap, but seems to deliver far more bang for the buck. And Randi's pretty open about how it's done.) There are a number of "atheist" and "humanist" entities engaged in the charitable, but they generally don't advertise themselves that way, and they aren't overly picky about who they bring in to help, demanding that they be competent rather than dogmatic.
Part of this also requires me to show the truth of religion, that for the most part, it's a lie. I won't accomplish much by assaulting people with facts and figures, much as I was when I was being "witnessed" to by believers years ago, prior to becoming a Christian. (I'm pretty certain that many people become believers if for no other reason than to get the proselytizers to just shut up, recognizing that once you say "Yes," they'll leave you alone and never talk to you again.) Instead, I have to live my life in a manner that's gracious, honest, and courageous. That's not easy; our society rewards the boor, the liar, the coward.
But there's value in doing this. I think of Metullus, of Girl6, of Terry, of Doubting Stephen, of JJ, of Zep, of other people on this board (and a number who have unfortunately left), who demonstrate there is a greater value, a greater reward for stepping out in boldness and declaring the realities of life, of living within those realities, and ultimately in reaching beyond them with our compassion, our intellect, our passion. The whole idea is to reach Beyond, and bring it into focus, to make it new, to make it real. That speaks of greater integrity than this continued bleat that we cannot do this, because this is God's territory.
If I remember the story of Adam and Eve correctly, they weren't evicted from Eden because they merely ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but because they chose knowing Good and Evil over Life. Had they chosen to eat from the Tree of Life instead, which they had never been forbidden to do, they would have been rewarded rather than damned. I look at Normal Dude's actions, I look at Lost Angeles's actions, I look at the actions of so many here, I see a quest not for knowing right and wrong, (which is ultimately meaningless), and I see Life.
It's Hokulele's declaration: "We don't know what it is? COOL!"
What's next for me? Finishing my own education, and becoming a Marine Engineer. I'll probably be in my 60's, but I'm pretty sure if I can still draw breath, I can contribute to bettering people's lives. And rather than doing so because it gives some mystical deity a nice warm feeling about me, I can do so because it's based wholly on the facts, that the effects of my efforts can be measured, can be replicated, can be seen, and that ultimately, will outlast all the memory of me from centuries on. My service to the world ought to be seen from its evidence and benefits, and not from the chance memory of people bowing before an altar whose significance fades from the cruelty and misery it has inspired for centuries.
That's the difference between you and me, Plumjam. I want to serve. You want to be serviced. It's the difference between love and sex, between creation and masturbation.
Lol.
