From Facebook

To let the regular readers of my blog know, this is not a regular post. A couple of people asked to see what I had posted on FB. I do not link the two so I am posting it here. This content was meant for those who are on my friends list (followers, etc.) so it may make some sense to you or not that much.

Lately I’ve come under verbal attacks from people for speaking my mind. Quite frankly I am a used to it. I’ve had to deal with morons my whole life. And I am also an avid user of Twitter, so I get attacked just for posting a funny picture at times. This isn’t something new, just a few years back I had someone crutching their own baggage and being such an asshat I just walked away myself. This last bit though was people who were supposedly close to me, those who should have understood who I am and what I stand for.

They don’t, clearly, so I am not concerned with the vapid comments made by others. Some folks I can have heated debates with or just ration discussions. Others seem to just call me arrogant because they don’t understand what I’m saying. Here is the jist of it, I do my research. I won’t do yours. If you make a claim and someone (ANYONE) says prove it, the burden of proof is on YOU. It’s not for you to then turn around and say ‘well prove your position’, doesn’t work that way. Besides most seasoned debaters (Stop chuckling Dillan) will tell you their position and how or why they got to that point off the cuff.

Now for the most part I am too damn blunt. I own that proudly. You won’t get bullshit from me. I won’t take bullshit from you. But I tend to keep (or try to) my atheist rants off of facebook. Reasons are few for why. I have a lot of friends here who are religious and I don’t care to argue or even discuss it with them. No matter how much I explain my position I know some are not going to get it and will just turn around and call me names. So quite frankly I keep it away for MY piece of mind.

But folks, I’m an atheist. I am PROUD to be an atheist. Everything in my life I have seen or done everything around me I’ve borne witness to has taught me many important things;

We have one life, there is no eternity. Everything can be explained with time and rational study. Science is not the debil (yes I spelt it that way on purpose to be facetious), science is truth. Science doesn’t give a shit if you believe in it or not. Because if scientific teachings and religion were to be eradicated on the same day and ten years from now both sprang up religion wouldn’t be the same. But science, science would still come to the same conclusions. The other beautiful thing about science, it can be wrong and correct itself. But ‘who’ can’t? I once heard a quote I’ll share. “If god is the explanation of anything than science is the force ever shrinking the bubble of that explanation.”

To step further in my explanation, not believing in an after life or an eternity is not a sad thing. Don’t pity me or pray for me. It means I see this life as my ONE life to do so much with. I have ONE chance to get to my deathbed and smile on a good life. I could go tomorrow and regret nothing except I won’t get to see my son become a man. SO I am happy and again proud of this.

For a lot of people there is this misconception of who atheists are. It ranges from baby eaters (we laugh at this, truly), to devil worshipers. Uh…that last one is not possible. Atheism is the rejection of the notion of any deities. So if I lack any belief in the existence of a god by any name then I lack belief in the existence of their counterparts. People have even said atheism is its own religion. False again, there are some atheists who act like it’s a religion or are part of structured social groups like a congregation. Most notably the Atheist + movement. I am not a part of that crock of shit. And you can all pretty much tell it’s like the bad eggs in any social group and or religion (of course used loosely for the example). But they’re still atheist, much like a muslim suicide bomber is still a follower of islam.

What does this mean for my friends who know me? Nothing really, if you got this far thanks. I’m just explaining my position. If someone reads this and intends to dispute what I said you’re going to be wasting your time. This is nothing more than an explanation like I said. You have your say on your religion, I have my say on my lack thereof. So if by some wild chance you see some ‘atheist posts’ coming from me know one more oh so fucking important thing;

I attack the foundation or organization of religions, I do NOT attack or poke fun at those who follow it. If I say the Catholic church is criminally harboring pedophiles I am NOT saying Catholic parishioners are or are harboring pedophiles. Big difference between pointing the finger at the leaders or Ad Hom attacking the parishioners.

Again if you got this far thanks, now you can understand me a bit better and do as I do. Which is to say leave people the hell alone to say what they want. Because I’m not really in the mood to have more people play the victim with me like last week then call me names when none were said to them in the first place. That’s kindergarten bullshit, I’m 31 with a 7 year old son who knows better than that.

The Hard Truth for Blind Eyes

It’s been a calender month to the day since my last post. It’s been that long since I set out to prove something. Something that is so very simple it’s even childish that I had to. That was that I’m an individual regardless of what is in front of my name, proof that who I am is summed up by what I do, what I say. Not by what you think of those three letters. Yes, those three letters that get so many people up in arms. I’m going to talk about ASH now. So either read on, roll your eyes, or bang the hipster drum and call me an elitist. Just know I’m going to chuckle endlessly as I keep writing. If anyone takes what I have to say to heart just know it’s not directed at any one person. Although I respect a lot of people who don’t like ASH, I am still going to hurt feelings and mince words. Don’t like it? Lace them bitches up and kick rocks. If you followed me for my honesty don’t get pissy with me now for using it. By the end of this if you feel you need to unfollow or even block me, by all means.

I’d like to point something out first, that to me, being Marvel was more than just ‘putting on a costume’ or pretending to be a superhero. I owned what choice I made in what I put as my avi. Take a moment and think on what Captain Marvel is. He is a fictional hero who is not always big and strong but a little boy named Billy Batson, a boy who lost his parents as an infant, he ended up living on the streets supporting himself, standing up for others even if it meant getting smacked down. He was chosen , making him ‘Earth’s Mightiest Mortal’ all because of one factor, Billy’s perfect heart. Out of every tragedy this young boy faced he stayed true to his strong morals, his sense of right or wrong and of justice. It’s the hope he represents, the imagery that even through all the bad the world throws at you you can still get up and push forward. For yourself or for others. So some can laugh at that, go for it. You won’t hurt my feelings in the least because we all have inspirations we strive towards. Whether you realize it or not, in fact many of you make an idol of Dawkins, or Hitchens because the inspire you. Or you simply enjoy what they have to say or said respectfully regardless. Others consider music, or literature (Those are books/poems/etc. for the laymen reading  this). A great many things inspire everyone every day. So mine might be cheesy, it’s not the only thing that inspires me, just pertinent to the topic. The sad few will outright deny anything I’ve said simply because they have to be right, so someone has to be wrong. I’ll take the wrong for those then. I have embraced what inspires me, I grew up through some rough shit. I became an adult because of it, through it and I’m better for it.

So, I’ve proven my point. I am the same person with or without the tag in front of my name. The same person who you guys have been talking to. Hilariously talking to I might add from some of you. I did this in hopes that even some of the most ardent detractors can see there is no pack mentality. Still doesn’t mean you’re going to like ASH, maybe just soften to the idea of mutual ignoring. But I am giving evidence as best I know how to show that some of the childish claims I heard in the last rounds of attacks on ASH are false. The most messed up thing about this whole month is I’ve seen the same bashing over ASH over and over. Now I am not talking about Mel’s blog, some of you are going to think I am. She made a lot of damn fine points that I can agree with and I both admire her and respect her for it. I’m talking about these little pissant moaners who can’t let this fucking go. There are so many organizations out there you fucks DON’T even know about that group atheists together. You bash on this one why? Because it’s comic book characters? Because there have been some bad eggs in the batch? Because you feel it’s elitist? Because we’re just sheep? Because you feel it’s unneeded? Let’s address these then;

1. Why Superheroes? Because it’s what we wanted to use, it has evolved beyond just superheroes. Deal with it. Why is your hair cut that way? Because you fucking like it.

2. There have been some bad eggs. Did you go through your life meeting only perfect people? Dumbasses.

3. Elitist, as I’ve said before we got attacked for not having rules. I was one of the ones on the forefront saying we NEEDED the guidelines especially for new members. Captain was actually AGAINST IT! But why is it I’m the last person, who has ever been a part of ASH, that isn’t called elitist? There is some food for thought for you guys. But, in usual pretentious fashion, we get rules and now we’re elitist. Hey, you, yeah the one bashing a group for having guidelines, next time take a fucking step back and realize how many things have rules or guidelines simply to make things run smoother before you point your finger. Now go sit the fuck down.

4. The pack mentality, we just ‘follow orders’ shit. Being me without the tag the same as I was with the tag and people won’t see it still. Not even the douchenozzle I set out to prove wrong and did. No pack mind, no hive consciousness. A group of individuals standing together under one banner. That’s what it is. The next time someone argues the pack mentality with me you’re done talking to me about ASH. It’s over, a dead issue, move the fuck along and go grab an ice cream.

5. You feel it’s unneeded? Fair enough,your feeling is fine. Your opinion is noted. Does that mean we have to follow what you have to say like it’s an order and stop? See how that works? You get to have your opinion, you get to say your opinion, I get to choose to ignore it and move on. I can even respect your right to have it. Doesn’t mean in anyway that I give a flying fuck about what you think is needed or unneeded where it pertains to us using Twitter the way we want to. Which is funny, since people seem to think our three ‘commandants’ tell us how to use Twitter. But these fucks here? No, they tell us because they’re against ASH so it’s OK! Sounds like the ‘I’m not racist but…’ start of some bullshit.

Here is the end all be all of the argument. You don’t like ASH, fine. We’re not going anywhere. I said WE, tagged or not I stand by my friends. Those that have never been in ASH and never want to be but are grown ups about it I stand by them as well. I’ll even continue and converse like I always have with people that don’t like ASH as a whole but don’t act like children about it. Difference being this time around? I’m not going to pulled into any more discussions or arguments. I am just going to walk the fuck away, its not worth my time. I am no longer going to try and hear both sides and be a peace maker. A few people have listened and understood me in the past. But lately these last two months it’s the really fucking spiteful little creatures that just want to be ignorant. If you hate ASH so much stop making it worth YOUR time. Walk the fuck away and get on with what you do and how you do it. You don’t even know these people as people. So many of you don’t even care to learn, that’s the saddest fucking part. It makes you pathetic, but we are because we like the tag. These are human beings who are fighting for the same goals you are. Not going to apologize for wanting to do it in a way you can’t understand.

Wondie, she kicks some serious ass. And has been through so much that you don’t even know about. Plus, whenever I needed an ear shes been there, I’m just some fucker on Twitter. She listened to me drone on about two psychos I dated and never blew me off once. She didn’t have to.

Captain, he and I have had words back and forth that weren’t even cordial at times. But we’re adult about it and moved forward as friends. I would make the trip to go have a beer with this man if I could.

The Crow, an inspiration to his daughter as well as myself. Get to know this awesome guy, you’ll be better for it.

Lantern, our resident flirt. He comes off strong ready to cross the line with a joke but just as easily can sit and sort shit out with you.

Indigo, she’s just fucking awesome! She has this little girl who has actually equaled my son for cuteness.

As a whole there are so many members, some are brand new and I haven’t even had the time to talk to them all. We have fathers like Aquaman, mothers like Jinx. Students, musicians, writers, scientists, artists, gamers. From many countries, many walks of life. I can keep going, but if you even have one shred of interest to even know the People behind the badge then you’re better than those who can only see three letters and squeal like a baby about it.

So in closing I urge every member of ASH and friends to do the same as I do, don’t pander to these sycophantic morons like Grumpy. We have logical people like Mel who disagree and make points then move on, but the others ignore them. Walk away, we’re not needed? Well same is said for them with their half assed arguments. Why do we have to be atheists their way to be one of the people they’d resepect anyhow? We’re not the elitists, we’re not the bad guys. We’re a group of free thinkers who do things our way under one banner. Who cares if someone else doesn’t need us or even like us? If you count them out, the pocket is rather small in comparison. There are many more people out there who not only don’t care about ASH in the least, but care even fucking less for these trolls. I’ve watched them complain more about these folks than us. Let them be, block them if you feel personally you need to, I don’t like to but that’s my take on blocking. Have a nice experience on Twitter with out them because the more you feed the troll, the more it roars. Just a suggestion, don’t take it as an order now, they’ll think I’m the hidden leader behind our three buddies. Oh nossss!!!

I’ve spoken, written to be literal, my piece on this now. I’m off to bed, I look forward to waking up for work in the morning and chuckling at my lowered follower count. It’s ok, not gonna to cry over upset wittle hipsters who don’t wike me.

Till next time,

#SHAZAM bitches, and ladies.

The Individual Who Became Three Letters

In the last two days I have seen people attacked on twitter simply for having three letters in front of their name. A, S, and H. Stand for Atheist Super Heroes if you didn’t know, or if you even cared. Simply put one child started a landslide against ASH which of course turned into being all ASH’s fault. It was an ignorant and wasteful attack. Here is my take on all of this bullshit. As always my blogs are my words as I have written them. So if any of this offends anybody I urge you to either grow a thicker skin or simply fuck off.

Me, forever trying to be the peace maker I stepped in. Only to find that this girl who I backed up before was calling me names, but telling me to grow up. Ironic, but ok, I left it alone. Don’t want to listen to reason, whine like a moron for all I care is my feeling. It went on all day, this ASH member against someone, someone else jumping in. So on and so forth. Childish shit, goading the ASH members because you don’t like the group? But they have to grow up? Check yourself in to a clinic please. Either you like ASH or you don’t, either you follow them or you don’t. It is up to you, but to attack them for doing their own thing because you disagree? That’s fucking childish in true form right there.

So a bunch of people got together under the guise of superheroes or icons from other popular culture to spread atheism their way. They have various reasons ranging from pure fun with it to keeping anonymity for their real life. Big fucking deal. I can’t stand going to conventions for the shit I like because there are people dressed in costume, that’s not my thing at all. Don’t see me railing on them. They do what the fuck they want and I go about my business, because I’m an adult. I grew up learning that each person likes what they like and does what they want. So long as it doesn’t hurt someone so be it.

ASH started as three groups, before the merger in to one. Each with it’s own leader and membership. I had more fun then, but whatever. We got attacked then because some members ran rampant and we had little way to keep things streamlined. But also then we got attacked, one group or all, because of what we did. Many of those attacks just like yesterday were started by someone else and then turned back as our fault. Not all but quite a few. So banging heads together the three groups became ASH and set guidelines and stringent ways for membership. Oh but no, that makes them elitist because you have to ask or be invited to join….. Fuck off. First we have no rule so we’re the bad guys, then rules and still the bad guys. So ASH screens for quality and that’s horrible? Remember that next time the health department misses their inspection at your favorite place to eat.

But it’s a pack mentality….. For quite a few yes, not going to argue. I saw one member jump in to the middle of one of the attacks with the wrong impression and it hurt the group. I saw another get the boot because they went on purposeful attacks. These were individuals doing this, pack mentality or not. But when you lose sight of wanting to see if someone is following the herd or being an individual go away. You have no cause here, you have no credibility. You simply attack because it’s what the ‘cool kids are doing’ and ASH aren’t the cool kids. Three little letters set you off? Try WBC before coming at ASH, they are some of the real enemy out there to rational thought. Which you did not use. Quite a few of my followers do not like the group. But they follow the INDIVIDUALS they do like. Paint everyone with the same brush and you become no better than the theists telling us we’re all baby eating hell mongers.

It’s so elitist…… Head-butt a Boeing, seriously. Please just fuck off. Some of the members are elitist, one I’ve wanted to punch square in the fucking mouth at times. So it’s a few, not all. I’m not going to go further on that than to say you should reread the paragraph above for my thoughts on it.

I left ASH. It should be obvious the moment the link to this post is tweeted. I didn’t do it because I wanted to be one of the cool kids, you can keep that shit for yourselves. I did it because tonight I was asked a huge question and I am truly honored by it. It helped me realize that this is twitter, where we exercise our our voices. Use our brains and communicate with like minded people. In all honesty, I’ve had too much shit happen in my life to lose my individuality. And it was tonight. Someone just saw me as a number. Don’t ask me who, I’m not calling them out. You will probably check my timeline to see, sure go for it. But if you go for the attack on them you lose me as a follower. What was said is then, what we do is move forward from it. As much as I see NOTHING wrong with ASH or the way they do things I will no longer be a part of it. You are either going to like me for me or fuck off. I am blunt, I am to the point. This is not a bakery, you want a sugar coat go find Jesus.

Before I even hit my teenage years in full I watched my best friend take a bullet to the head. I had human brains, what was once the whole being of my friend in my fucking mouth, my hair, my clothes. Should I go on? It was that moment I realized, too young to need to know it, that in life there are a great many things you can’t control. So seize what you can. I bring that up because this is one of those moments. I will be ridiculed by individuals for who and what I am. Not for three freaking letters at the start of my name. Not for the fact that I love the camaraderie of fellow atheists under one banner. Or that I wanted to present atheism in a fun light, hopefully inspiring some to step away from religion.

As much as I respect Dawkins, he is wrong on one thing. Herding atheists is not like herding cats. It can work, it has worked. I am the member of a group of atheists offline. I was atheist before I came to twitter, I will be when I sign off tonight. In seeing what some of the detractors have said in the past I know I have personally done more in my life to push atheism further. But I still see you as my equal. It’s called humility, learn it, grow the fuck up. For the last time, #SHAZAM

How can you be a Theist in my field?

It’s a serious question. How? How in my field of work can anyone be a theist? It makes zero sense to me. It seems like some people with their head shoved in the bible still do not understand the world around them. But they can be in my line of work making decisions for others? I think this is bullshit. I think this is ludicrous, sheer insanity. I would love to school more of these people like I have in the past. Before you read ahead I will point out that this is a very touchy subject for me. I write this for two reasons, to educate on what I do, why I sometimes constantly bit about work on Twitter and to get it off my chest before I start swinging at work. Some language of a graphic nature is used, I don’t apologize for it. It is how I express myself. This is the warning.

To give a little background in to my current questioning I work with the developmentally disabled. Great people, I love all 6 of my clients dearly. Even on the rare days that their problems are blamed on me from before I ever worked with them. Even on the days when other staff make a mistake and leave me to take the blame/clean it up. Some days are better than others. These fine folks are, very smart, very caring individuals. All from different backgrounds and with different levels of ability. My clients have been practically family for many things in my life. One former client, she moved away, used to swap stories with me about past experiences. She shared a lot and only with a few people. I was lucky to have such trust, to hear the good and the painfully bad from her life. A real sign that I have made an impact in my work, that I am helping to provide better than society in general does for them. I have gone on trips with these guys and been amazed in my earlier years of working with them by their intelligence. When I first started I did not know what to expect. I simply was ignorant of who they were and the situation as a whole. I’m not ashamed to say I was ignorant, because I had the willingness to learn and actually did so. Now I am no longer ignorant. In face I help educate new staff on a regular basis. I have also been thinking of moving up to become a trainer in general for the main office. I want more dedicated people who are taught the proper way to not only do their job but respect the people that give them this job. Without my clients there is no job. It sucks that that is the case, however it is what it is and I’m a realist and love my job. I have damn near gone to the ends where I almost fist fought someone who called them retarded. Likewise one of my clients once did the same when someone was giving me a hard time. These people are truly awesome. Better than most people I know.

Back to the question at hand, it is going to seem like I might be a little bit on the ‘downtalking’ side of things when it comes to my clients. I’m not in ANY way making fun of them. Harassing them or anyone in their situation. They are fabulous people I think the world of and have been very lucky to have. I am just looking at this analytically. People who can not understand that way of looking at this situation should NOT read further.

So, how the bloody fucking hell can anyone be a theist in my agency? You not only insult my clients, every client, by saying this but you show true ignorance the likes I have not seen since Romney.  I have heard that my clients are blessed by god. Really? If that were the case I SHOULD be out of a job. I have heard that our job is blessing from god. This one pisses me off with it’s ignorance as well as arrogance. So god decided to make these people this way? These human beings were put on this Earth for the sole reason of you feeling better about yourself? So you could have a job? So you could food in your fat gullet GOD made these people develop less? That is the kind of backwards thinking that spawned an agency like mine. Decades ago these people were treated like outcasts worse than today. They were treated subhuman, beneath even being SEEN by society. Today I fight that image in every way and if he were real I would fist fight any god who would make people this way win or lose. My agency came about when a group of parents got together because something better HAD to be done. So in that sense, GOD fucked it all up and WE are cleaning up the mess! You know, the usual. God would be the kid on the ant hill with the magnifying glass giggling like a sociopath while we run for our lives! To speak bluntly some things are made to be defective with zero control, humans are born the same way unfortunately. It happens, it sucks, but it is not the end of the world. It is how we treat these humans, they are fucking human, that reflects us as a society, as a person. They are no less deserving of any compassion or education. No less deserving of the normal lives they have the right to live.

Worst than that, yes it gets worse, I hear talk of pity. Do not pity these people! Life is what it is, random chance. I seriously had to walk away from a new hire once and recommend their termination because everytime they talk to a client they spoke to them like a child. They treated them like a sad puppy with a broken leg. They are not here to be coddled. You are not here to coddle them. Do not make yourself feel better at the expense of doing what you were hired to do. If that is so hard leave now before I stick my foot up your ass.

I should never have to hear this, more importantly my clients should never have to hear this. But stupid people get hired into my work everyday. God blessed our clients. Go fuck yourself. Go headbutt an engaged tank shell. Go dry hum a nuclear reactor. Please for the love of your god choke on pigeon shit. Get the hell out of my field if you can not embrace the simple concept that some times people are born different and WE as progressive forward thinking people are not only helping them lead lives their family refused to, or in most cases can’t afford to. We are helping society see that yes, everyone is different, everyone deserves decency and respect too. These are some of the best people I know. If your god ‘blessed’ them this way then I say fuck him/it/her in the celestial ass! How could you worship someone, something, that TOOK from people at the start? How could you possibly justify your existence in my face everyday toting your god(s) around as the answer to my clients state of being? Want to know what your god (s) can do? Go feed the millions dying of thirst and hunger everyday. Tell that omnipotent windbag that he can cure the sick of something that is killing them. My clients are not sick, hungry or dying. They are everyday people. So go tell your fairy tales some where else and let me actually do some work.

 

Oh and self serving theists in my field and every field where you don’t make a contribution for the betterment of humankind, if I have not made it clear by now; Go Fuck Yourself.

Thank you, sincerely yours,

David

Why I am Atheist, Where it Started for Me

If god is to be real then why would it allow us to suffer? The truth, there is no god. There is no plural of any god in any sense. No second coming of Jesus, no rapture. No four horsemen. Nothing of the sort to actually exist.

The reason for me is personal and simple at the same time. My mother. She was a devout Catholic all her life. She served her country proudly in the Navy. There she me my father and had two children with him, my sister and brother respectfully. Now here is where we start to have a problem.

You see sometime after my brother my mother contracted cancer. Breast cancer to be exact and open about it. She ended up surviving this battle with cancer and continued on with life as it were at some point, my family was never good at remembering the dates. It was a long while ago to be sure.

Then came me and her second battle sometime after she found out she was carrying me. Now even though I logically understand I’ve never known this woman who gave birth to me, I never met with her with any recollection, I still love her just the same. Is it the ideal I love of having had a mother? Or is it simply ingrained in me from conditioning? A boy must love his mother right? Questions for another time.

In her second fight she could have done more than she did. Even at risk of losing me in the process. For that as well I respect her, the choice to preserve me, the child she didn’t know. My existence might have never come to fruition for me to be old enough to write this. So my mother ended up with a double mastectomy. After I was born she begged my father to have me baptized. My father was always an atheist, but much like the man I have become he denies his love nothing if it is within his power to give.

My mother, still dying mind you, had me baptized. I ended up with two god mothers, nuns no less. So here we have it, a week after my first birthday my mother dies. Her fight ended. Some would say she lost the fight, but that is up to perception. My perception is that her life was lost, but her fight in part lives on through me.

Here is the truth in the matter; How could a just and loving god allow such a righteous, pious even, loving mother to die? Some say because ‘he’ has a plan. Ignorance I say, little pittances so those left behind can justify getting on with their lives.

Death is a part of life. There is no ‘after’ life to speak of. No such thing as the pearly gates to welcome us home. No saints and martyrs to beckon us forward to some mythical kingdom.

Logically no benevolent force would allow a child to grow up without knowing a mother. They wouldn’t allow me many chances at mother figures in my life that just were not the same. That would show a cruel. A cruel sadistic plan to let a child twist through life never knowing the woman who carried, loved and brought him in to the world.

I am atheist. There was no god that took her, no god who watches over. There is only this one life and then our death, in the end what we leave behind is the important thing.

Words To Live By

Lessons I’ve learned from my greatest heroes and teachers. Either in person or by studying teachings and actions of those I admire.

Love – Love to me it’s something more than chemical. Not metaphysical. To me it is more than just an attraction to a person’s outward appearance, but what is deeper inside a person.

Respect – This is obvious, earn it for yourself first. Let others give you a reason to respect them, or not. Don’t just hand it out loosely, you’ll be surprised how often you get your hand slapped back even when you’re doing the right thing.

Loyalty – To those I have pledged my loyalty to I would do anything. Not just to be the guy who tries to please, but because if a person deserves my loyalty then they have it. It is something rare today. So many people say one thing and do another without thinking of the consequences.

Honor – Such an abstract term today. Most people would think of old stories of knights and dragons. That is not me, I’ve never fought a dragon. I have had some fights over honor, maybe that has made me old fashioned, but I try not to fight anymore regardless. That being said it isn’t something that in today’s world needs to be something to get up in arms about anyway. It’s how you hold yourself, keep your promises, do what you say you’re going to regardless if it makes you popular or not.

Hate is not everything we are

I’ve been seeing more and more of my fellow atheists just spewing out hatred left and right. I’m not about telling people how to act or say what is in their hearts, but I can’t help but wonder if some should take a step back and look at what their message really says.

Not all atheists need to be so angry. When I debated I tried not to show up immediately on the offense, I failed sometimes, but I tried. Knowledge is our tool, wisdom should be what we share.

All the angermight have a place. At times I found it out right infuriating to argue with a theist, we do nothing for the good fight though when we lose our cool. I have met many nice theists who would look at some of my fellow atheist as fools just for how they react right off the cuff.

I know I sound preachy, not trying to. One of the reasons I no longer debate is I have better ways to spend my time. My thirst for knowledge and my creativity have flourished recently. Taking a step away from the anger has given me some clarity, although I would still combat religious ignorance. Now I do it from a calmer place and in my own way. To enlighten, not insult believers.

Where the Wild Thoughts Grow

Ever sit an wonder, what is the point? I have, quite a bit today, yesterday, the day before and the day before that. What is the point of what we are, where we are. Who we are? Do we live for ourselves or others? Do we live for simply going to work or partying with friends? Our children, do we simply exist now to be their caretakers? Hoping beyond hope to the ideas and abstract ways society will make them better people.

What is the point of love? Is it chemical beyond emotional? Does someone illicit a response so deep with in us that can be flipped like a switch, or forever flow like a river? Can someone truly change your whole view on life, or complete what you already knew was there?

I have found my point in life, two in fact. I have found that even though sometimes I can’t stand the lack of interaction between these two points I will never give up trying. I will not stop and step blindly off in to the unknown without one or both of these two points on my mind. Inspiration has struck me, there is no switch for my love. I work and I play. I work out and I work with in myself. Because my two points have strengthened me. Even if they can’t see it everyday. Even in their busy lives I hope I am present. Sometimes I can see I am clearly not. But I am not that selfish to be bent over it. Life is life and people are who they are. You love them for this or you lose them for that.

I am a grown man because I have been born a child and progressed through life with all my experience and skill to this point in time. As relative as time is. I am where I am because of circumstance, I have moved to and from this place many times, something I look forward to changing in the near future. My personality is such that I fight my urges daily to shy away from the world and leave everything and every one around me. I don’t even like going outside anymore, but I do it. I do it because it is what I need to do. To better myself and my knowledge. Knowledge is not just what we see here on the devices that you are using to read this. But it is experience. Every scientist, philosopher and poet didn’t just sit inside all day for nothing. They had experience out in the world. In a lot of ways I know someone who is the complete opposite on this. They would love to be outside more often and can’t circumstances beyond control.

I do live my life for my child, but I live it for myself as well. I see in him many of the lessons I have learned and passed on. And I see the need to continue not only my experience but his. I am one half of his caretaker yes, but I am not his master. I am his father first, friend second. The two can blend if I maintain the way I have always helped to raise him. If I continue this then my little boy will turn out to be a better man than I, something we should all strive for with our children.

Growing up atheist has opened my mind. I had many religions in my life. One in particular, Roman Catholic faith, shoved down my throat. I rejected it, the others I simply was curious about even though I had no plans to participate beyond slight study. I would like to think I know a lot, that my knowledge is expansive if introverted, at the same time I have the wisdom to know that I know very little. So learning not only about myself but the world and people around me every day is paramount to continuing my existence. I look for the day when I can sit and see the world free from religion. It won’t be in my time though. Might not be in my son’s time, but it is coming. When it comes I hope the flood gates of knowledge open for everyone, man, woman and child so that knowledge can push our people forward. Our global people.

We all started in one place thousands of years ago. Let’s not let another thousand years go by till we can all be one people again. Our differences define us, not deny us.

Writing inspiration

I’m finding it harder and harder to focus on my book. I started it a long time ago in a darker time in my mind and heart. I do intend some day to finish it. But it seems the more depressed I get with what is going on around and in some ways without me weighs heavily on my mind.

It is almost oppressive as well as depressive. There are many conflicting things going on in my life right now. All of which I tackle gladly. But at many points most people would shrug off some or all of their responsibilities. I will never be that selfish. I am not just writing this because I think I am some fanciful writer, but because I have a story to tell. I have a tale in my head that begs to be released. It may never win me awards or even be praised as being decent. But that doesn’t stop me. It isn’t up to how others judge it, but how I judge myself upon it.

Be not a man of…

Be not a man of success, but rather a man of value.