#but in case this was a trap or smth: i don't have anything against religious ppl

[sage-nebula]

Do you believe in God?

I consider myself both agnostic and a secular humanist. I don't know what's out there in the universe, besides aliens. (Aliens have to be out there somewhere; the universe is just too big for our planet to be the only populated one. It just makes sense for some other living beings to be out there somewhere, even if they don't need the same things to live as we do.) There could be some supreme being, or some eldritch horror. Maybe there's another dimension that overlaps with this one and that's where the supreme beings / eldritch horrors are. I don't know. Likewise, I don't know what happens after we die. Maybe we just blink out of existence, our consciousnesses vanishing into the ether. Maybe there is some kind of afterlife. Maybe we're reincarnated. Again, I don't know. I don't remember ever having died before, so I really can't say.

But I can say that—well, two things.

One, if there is some kind of supreme being or eldritch horror or whatever, I don't think it makes sense for them to care about humanity. To them, we'd be ants, wouldn't we? And even if someone has an ant farm, they don't care about each individual ant so much as they care about the colony as a whole. Ants might suffer. They do die. Even someone who is watching over the colony isn't going to intervene for one little ant. Why would they? Even if the ant does have some kind of internal emotions or whatever, the person taking care of the ant farm has no way of knowing that. They can't comprehend it. So they don't have a lack of care because of malice, but just because . . . those are ants. They're on a completely different level. And I think that any kind of deity or whatever would look at us, at humans and other animals, the same way. We're the ants and the Earth is our ant farm. If some kind of cosmic entity does exist, there's no way they'd care about an individual person. Not because they're necessarily malicious, but just because we're on completely different levels.

And two, regardless of any of that, what's important is what we do to and for each other on this planet, in this life. I don't know what happens after we die. Maybe something. Maybe nothing. But I can't, and I won't, live my life trying to barter for a better afterlife, should one exist. Not only would obsessing over the afterlife make it very likely I could miss out on the life I have right here and now, but also, people around me are affected by things I do or don't do. And the same goes for you: your actions have effects on other people, and on this world. So we should do our best to treat each other with respect and dignity not because of any possible moral dessert, but because, isn't it better to leave a positive impact than a negative one? Wouldn't you want someone to treat you with respect and dignity, even if there was nothing for them to gain from it?

My own personal mental illnesses and struggles aside, I'll be honest: It's really hard to live in this world sometimes. Horrible things are always in the news. The planet is hurtling toward devastating climate change and those with the power to stop it refuse to. The state where I live sees me as less than a full person. It's hard to think that things could ever get better. But what keeps my head above water is the belief that most people are trying to do good. Most people are trying to help, rather than hurt. Most people are trying to leave this world a better place than they found it. For every loud asshole, there are nine decent people quietly doing their best. I don't think that anyone has an inherent morality in real life, in the sense that I don't think that being "good" or "bad" is an immutable quality within each person. Instead, I think our choices define us. And I think that most people, when presented with the option, choose to do good. I believe that, when push comes to shove, the majority of people care.

So, simple answer is: no. I was raised in a Catholic household, but I am not religious myself. I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do. But who knows what the truth really is. I'm just one person, a human being upon this earth, with no greater knowledge about the afterlife or divine entities than any other person has. I don't have nearly enough hubris to think I've got it all figured out. I'm just doing the best I can to get by, and do as little harm and as much good as I can. In the end, I think that's all any of us can really do.

#anonymous #but in case this was a trap or smth: i don't have anything against religious ppl #if someone believes in a god and that makes them feel better about life & the world - i'm happy for them! #like i said this world is often horrible. life is so hard & dark sometimes. anything that brings you light & comfort is a good thing #the only time I make an exception to this is when ppl use their religion as an excuse to hurt others #you believe in a god? that's great. wonderful. i say that sincerely #you think that you believing in god gives you a right to hurt other ppl & control how they live their lives? now we have a problem #but otherwise i really don't care & i don't judge religious ppl for having faith. i personally don't - but that doesn't mean you can't