The World is Not Mundane (Redux)

taykair

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This is a golden oldie from April 28, 2008 - back when I said goodbye to spiritual things and was starting down the atheist highway. (Later, I discovered what a waste that was as well, but born-again atheists are just as evangelical as the most rabid religionist, and I was no different.) I posted this at all of the sites I used to visit back then, as a way of saying "so long" to all those poor, weak-minded fools who believed in what I considered at the time to be garbage.

I called it "The World is Not Mundane", and it went like this:

* * * * *​

I believe the reason so many live in the make-believe world of religion and spiritualism is because they desperately want there to be something more to their lives. They are not content with seeing the universe as it is, so they spice it up with tales of gods and demons, of magic and mystery.

If they could only internalize the very real wonders which they dismiss as everyday experiences, if they could accept the fact that a blade of grass or a drop of rain holds more wonder than any silly ritual or impotent pantheon, then they would indeed be on a path to enlightenment. Unfortunately, living in a world filled with ghosts and UFOs seems to be infinitely preferable to them than accepting reality for the wonder that it is.

Of course, another reason that some of these people claim to believe in these fantasies is that, by sharing these tales, they achieve a kind of importance which they otherwise would not be able to attain. (So you’re an insurance claims adjuster? Yawn. Well, that’s nice. Oh, and you’re a Wiccan who has the power to cast spells? How fascinating! Tell me more!)

I hold no animus toward those who, due to lack of education or mental instability, choose to believe that Bigfoot lives in their back yard, or that a cracker magically turns into the flesh of a dead man when blessed by a priest, or that emissaries from the Orion Nebula have made their long trek across the stars in order to perform rectal examinations on unsuspecting rural types. Such people are more to be pitied than despised.

It is, rather, the ones who are responsible for starting these tales, with the full knowledge that they are lying, who I find reprehensible – not those who are gullible enough to believe them. Practically anyone can be taken in by a well-designed deception, and those who are taken in should not be confused with those who seek power by attempting to fool the weak-minded.

It is true that a tiny minority of these “gurus” may actually believe the tales which they spin, at first. Perhaps they did experience something which seemed strange to them at the time. However, the experience was within themselves – within their own minds – not in the world in which we all live. Eventually, all of them recognize this fact, yet most of them continue to teach that which they no longer really believe.

As one who, at first, was a believer in one myth (Christianity) and who later “experienced” events which led me into yet another myth (New Age spirituality), I can honestly say that it has really been a long, strange trip for me. Now, however, I can see what a waste of time and effort it was to immerse myself in that which is not proven – and not provable.

The world is enough for me now. I don’t need a god to make the sun rise or the birds sing. I don’t need to have a soul in order to experience joy or pain. The only Tao is that of life itself – the world itself. It is enough. It is more than enough.

The world is not mundane. It only seems so when we choose to believe in what does not truly exist.

* * * * *​

Of course, I'm no longer an atheist anymore either. Nor have I returned to religion - whether it be traditional or the New Age variety. Nor am I really "searching for the truth" any longer. I just am. It feels good to be at rest for a little while.

Looking over what I wrote back then, I find that, while I still agree with most of it (especially with the part opposing those who falsely claim to be an authority about things which they really do not know), I find myself wishing that I hadn't posted it. I know now that it's not my place to tell others what they should or should not believe, and it took me a long, long time to resign from the Thought Police.

So, why is this here?

First, it's here because it's a great example of me not following my own advice. I wrote that life itself was more than enough. It was. It is. Yet I was still, as an atheist, being just as arrogant and judgmental as I was when I was religious, so I obviously wasn't living my life as though life itself was enough.

Second, as much as I would like to stand by and just let things proceed without comment from me, I still cannot abide those who claim to possess some kind of "secret knowledge" and who seek to cultishly attract followers to themselves and to what they know in their hearts is false. We have some here, and they know who they are. They should also know that I know who they are. Consider the above my way of calling BS on their activity here.

And third, I just got bored, and decided to resurrect an old piece of writing of mine. I do that sometimes.

Take care.
 
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