Ray_A wrote on Mar 2^nd, 2008 at 1:44pm:


I think that idea needs to be explored further. I personally take the view that life is wonderfully absurd, and that you'll really come adrift in a big way if you try to go against the natural flow. I do belief that there is no activity after life, and that's based on my studies of the largely deterministic relationship between brain and consciousness.  You just don't get soul surgeons or mind surgeons, but you do get brain surgeons, and they are mostly very effective, and have very good superannuation packages.

I don't belief in predestination as such. Based on my experience, we can control roughly 50% of the factors that influence our success (you can substitute destiny if you like). Another roughly 20-25% is outside our control but within our sphere of influence. So statistically at least, our 'destiny' is largely within our control. The part that is outside our control is irrelevant to me, because there is nothing I can do about it. The best thing I can do is concentrate on what I can control.

So does my life have a purpose? Yes - I set my own purpose. I dislike having somebody or something external to me trying to set my purpose.  I don't "eat drink and fornicate(sic) to excess", in fact I live a very conservative lifestyle, because it suits my purpose in life. My experience is that living life to the max will quite possibly put you over the max, so while I enjoy life, I don't overindulge. I also love people, and enjoy doing the right thing by them. 

Do I dread what happens after life? No. The thought of becoming one with the emptiness of the universe is a strangely comforting feeling to me, although those with a more Western view may find threatened by the emptiness of the universe. 

We are all star dust. We are all part of the ocean of life. We could describe a human being in terms of atoms and molecules, but even that continuously changes during life.  We change out the atoms in our bodies over a relatively short number of years. Who knows? Some of my atoms might be some of your atoms in a few years time.  In that sense we are continuously being reincarnated in some form or another, and I mean that strictly in a material sense.

So in that respect we (and life) are more like the waves on the ocean than the ocean itself. 

I talk about looking at dark skies in quiet outback settings. My current outlook in life came to me from such a quiet setting. It wasn't a near death experience - it was more a vivid life experience. Everything just clicked, and I could visualise the universe with an amazing sense of clarity. You could call it a moment of epiphany.  A religious person would probably have a different interpretation to that event than mine, but to me that moment was very 'sacred' and left me with a lasting impression. That's one of the reasons I have a lot of respect for religious people, and a dislike for the more shallow militant atheists.

We all have a spiritual side, and whether you internalise that spirituality and regard it as a function of an evolved cognizance like I do, or externalise it and associate it with a God or supernatural frame, that 'spiritual' side of us is extremely important for our overall health. Ignore it at your peril.

So I guess you have a better idea of where I'm coming from. Do I believe in God? - Well first tell me how you define God. I believe in an observable natural order in the universe. I also believe that we need to be in harmony with the universal 'Dao'. Does that count? Once you've defined God in a way that all theistic religions can agree upon, then you can try defining religion itself.

I like the term Chinese term "Dao" because it's truly indefinable. Call it the 'way' or the 'quest' if you like. If there comes a time when I'm not following the quest for knowledge, then I'll need to check my pulse to see if I'm still alive.  In that respect, I "worship" by a process of self-improvement.

So having defined all these things to your satisfaction, then try to define 'atheist'. It's an unfortunate term, and obviously a misleading one, because so many Americans think that atheism is a religion. So to avoid confusion with American english speakers, I'll just define myself as non-religious - but extremely spiritual.