The Journey, Part II

On the heels of my last post, I realize that I do not see atheism as a journey or a walk. Atheism is simply a position on a single question: does a god exist? Sure, from there, belief in other supernatural claims usually fall away (the afterlife, a soul, ghosts walking the earth to complete the unfinished earthly tasks, and so on), and from there too I look to natural reasons to explain life, the universe, love, etc.

What I mean when I say I don't see atheism as a journey or a walk is that I am not exploring some dimension of atheism, "growing" in atheism, or uncovering more about myself through atheism. Maybe this is the source of some of my irritation with those people who talk about their own journey in spirituality or walk with Christ. For me, it's just life. Our journey is through life.

Instead of feeling that I am exploring atheism (which sounds very strange to even contemplate), I have the impression that removing religious beliefs I am able to engage with reality more clearly. A veil has been lifted, an obstacle removed, the light turned on brighter.
  

It is not just that I no longer engage in rituals, prayers, tithing and services, and am therefore free to pursue whatever activity interests me. It is also that the worry about what message some deity is sending has vanished. Birds fly by because they have their own lives to lead not because some deity is sending a message of approval or disapproval. I locate a lost object or find a parking space due to the random fluctuations of events and chance, not because a saint answered a prayer. Natural disasters strike due to conditions on earth that in many cases can be monitored and predicted, not as punishment for some "sin" committed by individuals or communities.

I find great relief in knowing that events are unfolding for some earthly reason, not because some supernatural entity is trying to tell me something that I must interpret. I may not understand all the earthly forces at work or predict what choices others will make, but it's better than wondering what god is trying to tell me in these cryptic ways.

Random pleasures for today of people and animals enjoying their lives with no message from a deity:

-cicadas singing their summer song

-bees visiting the lavender

-cats napping in fetal positions in the comfiest spot in the house

-children running across the lawn