A great ad aired during the Super Bowl eight days ago. It was a surprising ode to atheism, in which the spirits of discovery and wonder were paid their dues.
How refreshing to see free thinkers band together and promote the pursuit of knowledge. It is about time common sense got its share of airtime.
Before I go on, let me say that I am not an atheist. I believe in something divine, a force of some kind that encompasses life in mysterious ways. Be it God or consciousness or aliens writing computer simulations of which we are part, it matters little. I cannot prove it, so I don’t even try. But I believe in it, because I have felt its presence in my life.
I also believe in the need to question everything around me with the aim to learn something new. The urge to explore and discover underscores my life approach.
I guess I am a believer not bound by dogma.
You could also call me an agnostic with faith. I may not be able to identify whatever force permeates the cosmos, but I know that science will one day explain it. As Arthur C. Clarke once said, ‘Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.’ One day we will understand what we for the moment sense.
Until then, I am not interested in convincing others that what I am sensing is right. I just want to get on with things, applying what I know to my everyday routine, trying to make my life and the lives of other individuals better. If some people are able to take something from it and use it for their own benefit, good. If they don’t, then no harm done, because I’m not trying to impose myself on them. To each our own and may the best ideas win.
Like the ad says: ‘Some will doubt you. Let ’em!’
Life is too precious to waste arguing with the naysayers.