‘How do we make sense of the world without a guiding myth like religion?—Alan Watts
—By making our own way, not cut from the cloth of big-box corporate religion or political ideology, where billions get a handful of choices. Evidence of this truth is ever displayed among all Christianity. Everyone chooses what suits them, but in lacking real answers they go, trying to incorporate every single thought into a new god—their real god—themselves. Or, by complete submission (where we find another book) that compels one to enforce many.
We are not born to be decided upon, to be guided upon, to be swayed upon by others interpretations of life’s completeness, especially among the religious who have closed their minds to the endless possibilities of fulfillment. Oft blinded by their narrow view from what might be genuine delight.
“Ideology is a poor guide because it’s not your story”—Joseph Campbell
What is the story of life? Where is the deepest meaning and fulfillment? We are alone finding our way among the crowds and impetuous, pushy religiosos that think in their narrow book of parables and horror are the answers for everyone that ever lived. How conceited. How dare they, really.
“Mythology is psychology, misread as cosmology, history, and biography.“—Joseph Campbell
TheCommonAtheist 
Ooooh. Warm me up with Alan Watts and then finish me off with Joseph Campbell… you really know how to get me perspiring in all the right places.
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Glad we can still be friends… there are two paths grasshoppah…one is decided for you, and one is your own.
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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood… and sorry I could not travel both. I hope I’m remembering that correctly.
Alternatively.
The king fu is strong with you grasshopper but take this grenade launcher… just in case
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Jim??? Where are you? Speak to me. Are you dead? (you are quite old… so its possible)
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Hey Jo no, not dead. Just life getting in the way of living. Started a new job and the onboarding schedule is quite rigorous. In short, brain is fried and old guys learning new tricks is not always a treat. Add the commuting and my days are pretty short. Thanks for staying in touch. Would you be so kind to email me. Be nice to have you in my address book Jim.cannon63@yahoo.com
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I’m glad you’re still among the living. This makes me cheerful.
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Thanks Jo. That means a lot to me.
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I’ll just add, my way is the only way–for me!
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I had a feeling that you’d be unlikely to disagree with me, at least this once. You are Chieftain of the Independent Thought, at least try to be. What happens when someone thinks they are paving their own way, but all they say is a church doctrine you’ve heard many times before?
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They do think that, all the time, until they discover they don’t. Which is why I never questioned Spiritual Evolution, it was proceeding beautifully, until Trump used it to divide the world.
I still trust in it, though I probably shouldn’t. Evolution of the spirit cannot fight climate change, or nuclear war, or human stupidity.
It is a sad state of affairs this world is in, and I hate to see it all wasted just because some people don’t understand it, and prefer to hang onto the past by fighting against it.
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Hey, rawgod, that is what we all do. each walks their road because it isn’t possible to go two ways at the same time. There is but one life, not two. GROG
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Depends on your perspective, grog, but that wasn’t quite what I meant. Many people (most?) walk someone else’s road, well-travelled and trodden down by many feet. It feels to them like their own path, but the way is paved, with flowers on the sides. I am saying the road I walk has never been travelled before, as far as I can tell. I see no broken shoots of grass, or litter anywhere near me. I spent a goodly part of my life following trails blazed by others. Now I have found one that is pristine, and I am taking it with open eyes. It may lead to nowhere, but there is still a chance it leads somewhere. I must find out.
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rawgod, when you say many (most) people walk someone else’s road, I think you are right in that we try to act like the person the other person approves of. The main reason for that is most people haven’t a clue as to who and what they really are. Come to grips with this existence or waste it by dreaming of the next. GROG
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What’s up, Grog?
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What’s going on, you ask. With what, I ask. I would just like to get more people on the same page. What is all this crap about the Bible, Jesus, Islam, …. The realm of the supernatural does not exist. End of Story! Resurrection is a delusion and religion is a scam. End of another story. What?! Are we in for another 1000 years of this insanity? GROG
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You may have a typo Grog. “I would just like to get more people on the sane page??
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Good catch, but it works either way, don’t you think? GROG
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It does. I’m trying to think of a neologism but it’s just not forming…yet
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I agree with you the religious view of life has no value, but after that is where we differ. My experiences in life tell me there is a continuation of life after life on earth ends. It has nothing to do with gods, but for me life is the entirety of the cosmos, and is eternal. Death is but a door into a different dimension, or plane. Having been there I cannot deny it. Which is why I call myself a spiritual atheist.
If I interpreted my experiences wrongly, I’ll never know it. But if I interpreted them correctly, life on Earth is about all life in general, so I would rather, as you call it, “waste” part of my present life working towards the future than just passively waiting till I die to discover my truth. Only, I don’t go around telling others how to live their lives. I try to help others wherever I can, and I try to role model my idea of a good life on Earth, but my beliefs are mine, and no one can take them away from me.
So I cannot just say the realm of the supernatural does not exist–end of story. In my philosophy, I have been alive some four billion years already, if not more. I cannot just say no to that knowledge. Mind you, I don’t call it supernatural, because it is totally natural to me. It is just not what you call natural. Hopefully we can exist in harmony, you and I, because that is one of the foci of my life–being in harmony with all life. That is who I know myself to be.
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The biggest hurdle stopping people from straying away from the path someone else made is the fear of the unknown
It’s just easier to follow someone else’s path than to carve your own (despite this being more thrilling, fulfilling and satisfying)
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Following carries no responsibility. The deluded don’t want to think, therefore they follow. It must be their free will? GROG
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What causes all the fear, is not the solution. What is there truly to be afraid of. We’re all gonna die…so what? No amour of Jesus is going to change that.
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Re “How do we make sense of the world without a guiding myth like religion?” Mr Watts must have left his senses behind. Religion is only useful when nonsensical questions are asked (Why are we here? Will I live after I die? etc.). If one doesn’t ask such questions, the world seems quite an orderly place.
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Mr Watts does go on to answer his own question, and quite well. He lived life on the fringe of his own fringes, and made his way in his own way. But yes, at first glance he would appear to have lost it. “People” obviously do crave their myth to be happy
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Grade school Catholic Catechism comes to mind — such questions with answers to be memorized.
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What what has always bothered me is the claim of religious believers that their teaching is some kind of guide to ethical or moral behavior. It isn’t. Religion is about personal salvation, i.e. preventing your soul, your being, your essence or whatever you want to call whatever is left of you after you die, from going to Hell and being tortured for eternity, and making sure that instead you go to meet up with god and live in some kind of paradise. Salvation and morality are NOT the same thing. In fact, the things some religious believers claim they need to do in order to achieve “salvation” has resulted in what I and many others would consider to be some of the most horrifically immoral behavior imaginable.
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“Salvation and morality are NOT the same thing”. Excellent. They in reality are diametrically opposed.
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How I live my life is MAHWEH! 🙂
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Well said neologismally
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LOL 🙂
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Finding our own path and deciding our own purpose… what a novel idea. Being able to enjoy life as we see fit rather than being told we’re wrong or being sinful is the only way to live.
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Yep. This is an idea this culture does not promote. Obedience is rewarded but learning to read your own heart or to strive to be authentic or genuine is definitely discouraged.
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Show me the way I have to choose from, and enforce it. One thing I like about animists ideas is the great wide open range to travel with what works for you
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The thing about us free thinkers, we have no desire to be part of the mindless horde. We have witnessed the behaviors within, and found them lacking in areas that certainly rub us the wrong way (hypocrite anyone?) Not to mention the fact they are long on proclamations and short on evidence. We choose our own path and walk it with heads held high.
The threats of hell be damned. Even if there was cause for concern of being cast into hell, most of us I am sure would prefer that over being stuck for an eternity with the x-ians we know. I kinda like the thought of hell, free of smug ass x-ians and lots of cool people to party with. I’ll dress lightly I’ve heard it’s a bit warm. I do wonder if the weather is seasonal there though?
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Headed off to fire lake, Who wants to brave those bronze beauties
Lying in the sun
With their long soft hair falling
Flying as they run
Oh they smile so shy
And they flirt so well
And they lay you down so fast
Till you look straight up and say
Oh lord
Am I really here at last—Jim’s run off to fire lake🎶
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Shotgun! 🙂
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Mmmm, the struggle for true freedom and liberty for all, equally, to determine and find those answers for yourself. Two great questions Jim which remind me of three favorite quotes that for me prep and point us in the right direction:
And so with full freedom and liberty to make my own mistakes and celebrate my own successes I can say…
Otherwise, this might be how you explain your affairs of unfortunate self-entrapment…
🤩
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Stellar comment sir. Lone Wati had some great quotes in that movie, and that particular quote could easily read ”I didn’t surrender, but they took my mind away when I was young, shoehorned in a make believe world of ghosts and gods and made me surrender before I could read. I could be many things I am not because my will was directed to live another mans dreams
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Haha, EXACTLY! What a classic great film, huh? 😉
On a slight sidenote of “fantasy realities.” Is it NOT utterly UNBELIEVABLE and worse than shameful the Roman Catholic Church’s response/reaction to all the past pedophilia and now recent sex abuses with not only little boys and girls the last several decades (that we know about), but now nuns and other young women raped and molested?
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/marie-collins-on-bringing-change-to-the-catholic-church/
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It’s big news for a few weeks and then business as usual. It’s a haven for abuse and no one should ever leave their kids one on one with any adult! Especially an authority figure. If only for the simple fact; if you want to find a pedophile, go to where the children are.
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One day at a time after reading all this heady philosophical prose (and one poem/song). My willing practice of religion was never based on fear, but on truth. I walked away not because I no longer feared any outcome, but because I concluded there was no reason for it and thus it was not true. Very interesting musings.
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Good point. I do know a good percentage stay for fears sake though. Our lifeguard at the pool was asking me the past few weeks about my atheism. She started talking religion a while back, now she’s seeming a little curious about unbelief. So, we’ve talked half dozen times and she then concluded she might be agnostic and then she gat a wee serious and said, “but what about hell?” She had reconsider what was true because of fear. She’ll figure it out, but fear of hell trumps truth many times
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Also, the concept of hell (or purgatory or karma) helps to make life seem fair. I drive carefully due to fear, so it has its place. But when learning to ride a motorcycle, fear made me a poor rider because of not relaxing and awareness. And that’s the truth. 🙂
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