Belief

Belief is everything when you are young.

It starts as it usually does with those holiday wraiths. I recall finding a fluff of cotton on the living room floor, presenting it as proof to my mother that we had been visited by the Easter Bunny. Believing in these childhood fantasies was so much more important than logic. To think that such a big man could go down that chimney, regardless of the physical impossibilities, and deliver Christmas directly under my tree. For a tiny pixie to exchange my mouth bones with dollar bills in a macabre transaction. These are the things I relished, collected like the skeleton keys that I kept in my treasure box. Opening the hungry keyhole of my own mind.

Raised Catholic, I took to religion just the same. Feeling powerless I could ask for help. Could kneel and wait for the warmth and glow of some higher power. To take my sins away and forgive me for those trespasses. The fact that no matter what I did I would not be trekking alone. If anything sets us apart from the animal kingdom it’s this: that sometimes we are dropped onto this earth without every necessity for survival. It isn’t enough to have our pack. Our friends, our family, our loved ones. We need a reason. For all this. Religion is incredibly useful for this. And now that I am agnostic, it makes it all that much harder. Without a belief that something happens after our last day, how does one carry on?

This led to a lot of soul-searching and research. I came across a philosophy called Humanism, which, according to americanhumanist.org, states that it is a “progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good…”; “A rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion.” It’s this philosophy that has captured the attention of many authors, most notably Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, and Isaac Asimov. As well as philosophers, scientists, and political leaders. It states that we as humans have a right to take care of one another. To cause no harm. Things that can be found in the commandments of other religions but without all of the parameters and guilt-building that can become toxic.

It seems obvious that we should treat each other kindly. But adopting certain belief systems is a surefire way of holding yourself accountable for your actions. Humanism is a good way of accomplishing this, if it helps for you to have some kind of credo.

It doesn’t get rid of the thoughts of the “big sleep” that happen in the middle of the day, worrying about all of the things you have yet to accomplish. But I personally choose this over the adverse, which is years of feeling not worthy for a god. Constantly feeling at fault for being human. Humanism is a way of forgiving yourself while still acknowledging that we aren’t alone in this world. That, like the animal kingdom, we still must reach out and acknowledge our kin.

Belief sets us apart as humans. What works for you may not work for your neighbor. And that is okay. No matter what we believe we must accept and respect each and every religion, no matter how extreme or narrow. Understanding is the impetus of life. A big reason for war is misinterpretation, a failure to empathize. Belief makes good writing. Belief makes better people.