Saturday, November 21, 2009

Existential Despair

Existential Despair - Discuss Atheism :
I've often wondered if this an outgrowth of the feelings of triviality and hopelessness that the assumption No God engenders. As my close friend put it, ... 'Have you ever stopped to think of it? We are all microscopic specs in a macrocosmic universe.'
Godman
J'C: "While your friend's observation might be a true statement, most of us microscopic specks find good reasons to continue living in the other microscopic specks of our own species and others that we might love and be loved and make a difference in the lives of those other microscopic specks. We are not going to change the shape of the universe, but we can change the lives of our friends and perhaps our society to make it a more loving and friendlier place for all. And while we are at it we can enjoy the spiritual discoveries of our friends and neighbors as they explore that macrocosmic universe."

3 comments:

Exploringinside said...

In the movie August Rush, when he is asked what he wants most of all, he replies, "To be found." In the movie he was referring to his biological parents finding him but the hope "To be found" is too profound to think it only had meaning within the movie's dialogue.

I believe that one of the reasons the paternalistic religions have flourished is due to their reply to this innate yearning to be found. When first separated from a parent, it is likely that this event caused a trauma that was stored in memory as an engram of fear; despair, a sense of hopelessness and other like emotions appear to trigger that engram of first separation and the fear arises, again.

Religions, through teaching, ritual and rite, attempt to artificially induce the sense of being found. The typical church social structure is not an accident; through trial and error the best support system for engendering a sense of belonging developed because it feeds the need to be found.

J'Carlin said...

But what is the moral culpability of a conditional finding? If You are only found if you believe everything that we tell you to believe, and nothing else is this not an evil God? Is not the finding a charade? And a dangerous one at that?

Is it not safer to be proactive in your finding? At least if you wear your school colors on campus and treat the people you meet there with respect, will they not find a common bond that is not conditional on other things you choose to do.

Exploringinside said...

The "finding" of religions is indeed a sham and I, too, believe it has its dangers. It tends to leave one in a state of being prone to uncritical acceptance of false information.

The evil is human; the God is imaginary. The witch doctor gained control by promising relief from the fears of death and disease. The current clergy carry on the tradition started by the first witch doctor.