Mitchell's Convert Me Challenge
1. Intro
I posted my original convert_me challenge 4 years ago today ( here). I think it's about time I rewrote it. :)
2. What I'm Not
2.1. For about 10 years now, I've called myself an "Atheist". I've tried using the term Ätheist for awhile, too (just to highlight the difference between "weak" and "strong" atheism--and I happened to disliked the label "weak"). ;)
2.2. I've defined my spiritual or metaphysical "self" in terms of what I don't believe. This tends to annoy a lot of theists. I can't tell you how many times someone has said, "Don't tell me what you don't believe, tell me what you do believe!" But therein lies the rub. I can't seem to find that one Global Truth that the rest of my being revolves around. I can't find a single term that accurately encapsulates all that I want to convey about myself.
2.3. I cannot call myself a bone fide Secular Humanist, even though I agree with most of the basic tenets listed here. My main problem is the "humanism" part. :) I do not affirm the dignity and worth of all human beings. I do not think all men were "created equal". And I do not think it is somehow my duty to "help out" the rest of humanity in some way. I realize that this makes me look like an asshole in the eyes of the many, but it's the truth! I realize that every form of "mass media" preaches the exact opposite virtue, but isn't that what one would expect from any form of "mass" media?
2.4. I do not despise all people. I'm just indifferent towards a lot of them. The closest theological type of label that I've found to this is either LeVay's brand of Satanism or Ayn Rand's Objectivism. But I can't really identify with either of those labels either. Objectivism is too closely tied to Capitalism and a whole lot of other things that I'd rather not get into here. And Satanism is too closely tied to the idea of Magic for my liking (the whole 2nd half of the Satanic Bible details different types of "spells" that just seemed childish and meaningless to me).
2.5. Not that "childishness" is necessarily a bad thing, mind you. :) I do like to joke and kid-around a lot. :) But I feel I can't identify with Discordianism either because that seems like an entire pretend "way of life" that revolves around being a prankster. I'm not _always serious_ in the same way I'm not _always un-serious_. Therefore, I can't see myself being a true Discordian. I've also heard of some overly serious Discordians (which always seemed odd to me). But, again, I don't see myself as overly serious or overly un-serious. So that label doesn't seem to fit either. Also, I should probably mention that I couldn't stand the Principia Discordia (I got about 1/3 of the way through it and just wanted to vomit). I doubt any true Discordians reacted that way to that book.
2.6. Perhaps the reason I can't find a "single term" to describe myself with is because I don't see myself as having a "single belief" that the rest of my beliefs flow out of. The serious / un-serious thing is one example of that. Sometimes I am overly harsh and serious in tone. Sometimes I am childish and prankish. And sometimes I am compassionate and caring and want to teach others. In other words: I am the Father. I am the Mother. I am the Son.
2.7. I find a sort of close affinity with one particular brand of Christian Gnosticism (the atheistic brand). But since this religion has been "dead" for a few thousand years, I'm not entirely sure if my understanding of it is even close to anything that anyone even ever believed! (And if that's the case, I probably shouldn't use that term to describe myself, eh?) ;)
2.8. I like that idea that one can become "Jesus" (or that one can become better than Jesus) in this lifetime: the idea that one should constantly strive to become better even than the most cherished thing that anyone's ever heard of. This is very similar to Zen, I think. In that: if you see the Buddha walking on the road, what should you do? Kill him! I wrote a long essay about this Gnostic Jesus and Zen back in 2004 ( here's a link in case anyone's wondering what I'm talking about here). :) But ultimately, I'd rather not identify myself with Gnosticism because there's really a whole lotta ways that term can be interpreted (and by the time I accurately describe my form of it, I'll likely have talked so much, or written so much, that I'll have essentially defeated the purpose of having a one-word descriptive title for myself in the first place!).
2.9. As for Zen, I don't feel I've learned enough about it to call myself one. I don't sit on the floor and meditate about nothingness. I've never been to a Zen monastery. I've never talked to a Zen master. I've read a lot of Zen stories and koans. Some of them sound really good to me, and others sound pretty stupid. I also don't think I can define "Zen" or even talk about Zen. And I have no interest in learning more about it. The ironic part is, some would say that's a very "Zen" thing of me to say... I think... :)
2.10. Another -ism I kind of like is Existentialism. I'm a big fan of Nietzsche, but I don't know much about Sartre or Kierkegaard, and I guess I don't really know what it means to be an existentialist. Sure, I believe humans create their own "meaning" in their lives, but that seems kind of obvious to me. Does one really need a term for that? Is that all there is to it? I feel I'm missing something here. Plus, when I think of the term "existentialism", I think of terms like: dread, boredom, alienation, and "absurd nothingness". I almost think I'm not pessimistic enough to be called an existentialist. :o
3. What I Might Be
3.1. I've found one thing for sure that I do believe in. I believe that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (and yes, that's my favorite Carl Sagan quote). :)
3.2. I think that quote is the closest thing to a Global Truth that I can accept. I believe in that which makes the most sense to me. I believe in whatever has the best evidence or reason to support it. I don't think that makes me a Materialist, though, because I'm not outright saying "only matter exists". I'm saying "if you have evidence for non-matter related existence, I will evaluate it and believe what makes the most sense to me". All of this probably sounds pretty vague, so I'll give some examples of what I mean.
3.3. I don't think there is very good evidence for Bigfoot. Therefore, I don't think he's real. I haven't seen compelling evidence for spirits or ghosts, so I don't believe in them either. I haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe in space aliens or deities, so I don't believe in them. And, most importantly, I haven't seen any evidence that I need a single Global Truth in order to live my life. Therefore, I've begun doubting the existence of such Global Truths.
3.4. Everyone seems to tell me: you gotta believe in SOMETHING. To that I ask, "Why?" Provide me with evidence that explains why I must believe in SOMETHING. Back up your claim, and perhaps I can learn something from you.
4. A slight aside...
4.1. In a recent audio book I was listening to, the author mentioned something about American culture that I'd like to share. He mentioned the Puritan Work Ethic, the idea that everyone has a single "calling" in their life (and if you follow God's chosen path--your calling--then you will have some sort of personal sign of your salvation). Therefore, all of the Puritans worked really hard towards their one path in life (one profession, one end goal), and somehow the idea of people only having "one main goal in life" worked its way into American culture.
4.1. Well, I'm calling all of that into question. I don't think I have "one main goal in life". I have many, many goals for myself, and I've noticed over time that a lot of my goals have changed as I've "grown up".
4.2. I bring this up because it seems related to the "you gotta believe SOMETHING" routine. I don't believe in One Single Thing above all else. I believe in Many Things -- so much so that I cannot pick one to call myself that rises high above all the others. What does that make me? I don't know. And until I find a better term, I guess I'm stuck calling myself an Atheist (or Ätheist). ;)
4.3. Ah yes, if you can find a better term for me, or if you can show me a reason to believe whatever Thing(s) you believe in, by all means share it with me. Convert Me!
cheers,
MITCHELL
I posted my original convert_me challenge 4 years ago today ( here). I think it's about time I rewrote it. :)
2. What I'm Not
2.1. For about 10 years now, I've called myself an "Atheist". I've tried using the term Ätheist for awhile, too (just to highlight the difference between "weak" and "strong" atheism--and I happened to disliked the label "weak"). ;)
2.2. I've defined my spiritual or metaphysical "self" in terms of what I don't believe. This tends to annoy a lot of theists. I can't tell you how many times someone has said, "Don't tell me what you don't believe, tell me what you do believe!" But therein lies the rub. I can't seem to find that one Global Truth that the rest of my being revolves around. I can't find a single term that accurately encapsulates all that I want to convey about myself.
2.3. I cannot call myself a bone fide Secular Humanist, even though I agree with most of the basic tenets listed here. My main problem is the "humanism" part. :) I do not affirm the dignity and worth of all human beings. I do not think all men were "created equal". And I do not think it is somehow my duty to "help out" the rest of humanity in some way. I realize that this makes me look like an asshole in the eyes of the many, but it's the truth! I realize that every form of "mass media" preaches the exact opposite virtue, but isn't that what one would expect from any form of "mass" media?
2.4. I do not despise all people. I'm just indifferent towards a lot of them. The closest theological type of label that I've found to this is either LeVay's brand of Satanism or Ayn Rand's Objectivism. But I can't really identify with either of those labels either. Objectivism is too closely tied to Capitalism and a whole lot of other things that I'd rather not get into here. And Satanism is too closely tied to the idea of Magic for my liking (the whole 2nd half of the Satanic Bible details different types of "spells" that just seemed childish and meaningless to me).
2.5. Not that "childishness" is necessarily a bad thing, mind you. :) I do like to joke and kid-around a lot. :) But I feel I can't identify with Discordianism either because that seems like an entire pretend "way of life" that revolves around being a prankster. I'm not _always serious_ in the same way I'm not _always un-serious_. Therefore, I can't see myself being a true Discordian. I've also heard of some overly serious Discordians (which always seemed odd to me). But, again, I don't see myself as overly serious or overly un-serious. So that label doesn't seem to fit either. Also, I should probably mention that I couldn't stand the Principia Discordia (I got about 1/3 of the way through it and just wanted to vomit). I doubt any true Discordians reacted that way to that book.
2.6. Perhaps the reason I can't find a "single term" to describe myself with is because I don't see myself as having a "single belief" that the rest of my beliefs flow out of. The serious / un-serious thing is one example of that. Sometimes I am overly harsh and serious in tone. Sometimes I am childish and prankish. And sometimes I am compassionate and caring and want to teach others. In other words: I am the Father. I am the Mother. I am the Son.
2.7. I find a sort of close affinity with one particular brand of Christian Gnosticism (the atheistic brand). But since this religion has been "dead" for a few thousand years, I'm not entirely sure if my understanding of it is even close to anything that anyone even ever believed! (And if that's the case, I probably shouldn't use that term to describe myself, eh?) ;)
2.8. I like that idea that one can become "Jesus" (or that one can become better than Jesus) in this lifetime: the idea that one should constantly strive to become better even than the most cherished thing that anyone's ever heard of. This is very similar to Zen, I think. In that: if you see the Buddha walking on the road, what should you do? Kill him! I wrote a long essay about this Gnostic Jesus and Zen back in 2004 ( here's a link in case anyone's wondering what I'm talking about here). :) But ultimately, I'd rather not identify myself with Gnosticism because there's really a whole lotta ways that term can be interpreted (and by the time I accurately describe my form of it, I'll likely have talked so much, or written so much, that I'll have essentially defeated the purpose of having a one-word descriptive title for myself in the first place!).
2.9. As for Zen, I don't feel I've learned enough about it to call myself one. I don't sit on the floor and meditate about nothingness. I've never been to a Zen monastery. I've never talked to a Zen master. I've read a lot of Zen stories and koans. Some of them sound really good to me, and others sound pretty stupid. I also don't think I can define "Zen" or even talk about Zen. And I have no interest in learning more about it. The ironic part is, some would say that's a very "Zen" thing of me to say... I think... :)
2.10. Another -ism I kind of like is Existentialism. I'm a big fan of Nietzsche, but I don't know much about Sartre or Kierkegaard, and I guess I don't really know what it means to be an existentialist. Sure, I believe humans create their own "meaning" in their lives, but that seems kind of obvious to me. Does one really need a term for that? Is that all there is to it? I feel I'm missing something here. Plus, when I think of the term "existentialism", I think of terms like: dread, boredom, alienation, and "absurd nothingness". I almost think I'm not pessimistic enough to be called an existentialist. :o
3. What I Might Be
3.1. I've found one thing for sure that I do believe in. I believe that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (and yes, that's my favorite Carl Sagan quote). :)
3.2. I think that quote is the closest thing to a Global Truth that I can accept. I believe in that which makes the most sense to me. I believe in whatever has the best evidence or reason to support it. I don't think that makes me a Materialist, though, because I'm not outright saying "only matter exists". I'm saying "if you have evidence for non-matter related existence, I will evaluate it and believe what makes the most sense to me". All of this probably sounds pretty vague, so I'll give some examples of what I mean.
3.3. I don't think there is very good evidence for Bigfoot. Therefore, I don't think he's real. I haven't seen compelling evidence for spirits or ghosts, so I don't believe in them either. I haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe in space aliens or deities, so I don't believe in them. And, most importantly, I haven't seen any evidence that I need a single Global Truth in order to live my life. Therefore, I've begun doubting the existence of such Global Truths.
3.4. Everyone seems to tell me: you gotta believe in SOMETHING. To that I ask, "Why?" Provide me with evidence that explains why I must believe in SOMETHING. Back up your claim, and perhaps I can learn something from you.
4. A slight aside...
4.1. In a recent audio book I was listening to, the author mentioned something about American culture that I'd like to share. He mentioned the Puritan Work Ethic, the idea that everyone has a single "calling" in their life (and if you follow God's chosen path--your calling--then you will have some sort of personal sign of your salvation). Therefore, all of the Puritans worked really hard towards their one path in life (one profession, one end goal), and somehow the idea of people only having "one main goal in life" worked its way into American culture.
4.1. Well, I'm calling all of that into question. I don't think I have "one main goal in life". I have many, many goals for myself, and I've noticed over time that a lot of my goals have changed as I've "grown up".
4.2. I bring this up because it seems related to the "you gotta believe SOMETHING" routine. I don't believe in One Single Thing above all else. I believe in Many Things -- so much so that I cannot pick one to call myself that rises high above all the others. What does that make me? I don't know. And until I find a better term, I guess I'm stuck calling myself an Atheist (or Ätheist). ;)
4.3. Ah yes, if you can find a better term for me, or if you can show me a reason to believe whatever Thing(s) you believe in, by all means share it with me. Convert Me!
cheers,
MITCHELL