Be the Cog

Beginning to loose weight.

2012-01-18T13:01:00.001-08:00

So it has come to my attention that I am a tad overweight. I haven't been feeling great at all lately regarding my figure or my looks and I am in fact, the heaviest I have ever been.

As a result I have joined up at weight watchers with my mum. I am hoping that together we will be more successful. I intend to get down to at least 68kg. This has caused me to think a lot about how I approach 'changing' myself.

So many people say; you should be happy with who you are no matter what you perceive your flaws to be. Does that sentiment really encourage positive thinking about changing yourself? It might be a good band-aid option for short term happiness. It certainly helps for things we cannot change. Though from what I have experienced, it does encourage complacency as well as acceptance.

I think I can demonstrate my point by referring to my recent change in speech. For all of my life the attitude towards my speech impediment has been 'oh, it is a part of you. It makes you individual. You should be happy with who you are.'

I have been bullied, marginalized and depressed because of this 'individual' quirk for as long as I have been 'accepting its part of who I am' and after carrying it around for decades do you know how easily I was able to change it? With the help of a speech pathologist I was talking sensibly in less than a month. I can barely call it an achievement! It was such a short and easy process.

I have learned that change is good. Wanting to change something in yourself only leads to self improvement. Pick out the things you find hard to accept in yourself and rather than forcing more acceptance, take positive and sustainable steps to change. Why should I have to be big when I have the potential to be as thin and healthy as other girls? I am not happy with fat Tash. I am going to change her.

The story about every woman; as told by Man

2012-01-08T22:26:00.000-08:00

The blog God and You has recently become of idle interest to me. It follows a group which indulges their readers with soft-core agreement about Gods love. Mostly harmless, they never really seem to push the lines of controversy. Today however, Sean - author of the article I am about to criticise 'the story about every woman', has brought to my attention how seriously dangerous the ideas are that websites like these propagate.

In short, Sean's article is a thinly veiled act of misogyny designed to justify why it is that women should submit to Man for the good of their souls. He seems to confirm every negative attitude towards women that is perpetrated by the patriarchal religions who are so prevalent in our society today. What is just as unfortunate is his eagerness to prescribe men with similarly restrictive qualities.

Sean puts women up on a pedestal, gives them a self contained 'tower' that is the property of the devil and then asserts that women must not be self contained and that it is the job of Men to show them Gods love. Sean seems to say that without Man a woman is without God. Without either, she is without identity. How is it that so many religious women can allow this opinion?

He affirms that "The Devil will ALWAYS want the woman." and predictably resolves this by bestowing Man with divine right. "The nature of God passed on to us is of His fierceness and competitiveness. We are dangerous men, ready for battle against the Evil One." Is it really the purpose of women to be led about by our noses as the battle between the Devil and God are waged? Of particular interest to me is how it appears to him men are not led away by the Devil in the same way as women are. Instead Man would side with the Devil in objectifying women.

He makes no reference to the 'Devils' work in objectifying men. Doesn't he believe that men can be sexually, emotionally, mentally victimised by society and authority in the same way as women? By prescribing men with these 'divine' qualities he is sending an equally dangerous message to his male readers. Letting them think that this fairytale world is precisely the way things are. Suppressing their options to think differently.

That to think the mould for masculinity is one size fits all is the same sort of awful belief that femininity comes only from passive submission to men and God.

I probably shouldn't have bothered thinking that this article would provide anything progressive. Its effect was to re-affirm that behind the soppy wishful thinking of Christianity is a repulsive fairy story where the hierarchy would shamelessly use men, women, sexuality and sexual roles as tools against each other. Encouraging compliance to the regime of 'God'.

How to Argue with an Atheist #2 : Anatomy of an Argument

2012-01-06T03:42:00.000-08:00

In this next post I will present the definition and anatomy of a basic argument. This will cover premises and the conditions which make them true. Following from this will be an explanation of conclusions and how they bring the argument together.

What is an argument?

An argument in this case is a form of proof for a point of view. While the argument between theists and atheists might be heated and emotionally driven in some cases. The atheist (and many theists) believe that breaking things down to a logical analysis is one of the best ways to learn the truth of something. In philosophy there are many forms of arguments and different styles of setting out premises and conclusions. What follows is the most basic understanding of what an argument consists of.

Premises

Premises are the basis on which an argument is formed. A premise is a statement or an observation which should logically justify a conclusion.

In order to properly justify a conclusion and produce a sound argument the premises you state must be true. This is because of the following general rule;

if the premises are true then the conclusion MUST be true

So, what is 'true' for the sake of rational argument.

Truth is verifiable. Any statement that is said to be true must be consistent and testable. It must have conditions that would allow it to be proven false. It must be repeatedly observable and objective.

Conclusions

Conclusions are the final statement in an argument and should be designed to take into account the premises which you have set. A conclusion must be logically justified on the basis of your premises. The truth and validity of the conclusion is directly related to the quality of the premises.

The components I've presented have quite specific roles in an argument. Being aware of what makes a good argument contributes to the quality of the discussion you conduct. You will be able to form better arguments as well as show your opponents where their arguments are failing.

Further reading can begin here; a more in-depth run through of arguments. http://www.iep.utm.edu/argument/

How to Argue with an Atheist #1 : Being Rational

2012-01-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

This is the first of a series of blog posts I am planning that I hope will give the everyday theist the tools they need to understand the basis of atheist arguments. For fancies sake you could say that knowing the opposition is the first step to overcoming them. The definitions I anticipate responding to in the future will be underlined.

What I am proposing is a series not based on atheist premises themselves, but to present an elementary 'toolbox' that anyone who argues soundly would use. I will be focusing primarily on basic definitions and my intent is to share this information in an accessible way.

All of the definitions earmarked for future discussion are criteria for rational understanding. That is to say, most atheists (and theists) will generally agree that what I put forth here is pertinent in the formation of any sound argument. In this post I will be covering the following questions. What is it to be rational, why is it important to be rational and how can we achieve rationality?

What is it to be rational?

To be rational is to take into account what we observe about the world around us. Through the process of reasoning we can come to conclusions which reflect truth to the best of our capacity. The goal of rationality is to ensure that what we believe about the world can stand up to criticism. It is also important to rationality that our beliefs can change based on new observations, information and evidence.

It is important to someone who would consider themselves a rationalist that their 'truths' are sourced from reliable observation and information. While personal opinion is considered vital to a persons individuality, the rationalist expects that personal bias and subjectivity is taken into account but would not unreasonably influence information, public opinion or outcome. This idea can also extend to authority. A rationalist will often be sceptical.

For more understanding about what a rationalist is, please check out http://www.rationalist.com.au/about-rationalism/161-what-is-a-rationalist

Why is it important to be rational?

Being rational can be considered an important function in the success of society and culture. Decisions that are made from the best information available are generally rational and result in being the best decisions one could make under any particular related set of circumstances.

Rational thinking which is applied through systems like the scientific method have produced all of the technology and up to date information about the physical world which we have today. Without rational thinking we wouldn't solve problems, we wouldn't have TV and medical treatment would not exist.

Our rational processes also provide us direction for the future. The more questions we have answered the more seem to arise. Humanity is fluid in its experiences and keeping up with our constant change is a task available to all of us. We are always discovering challenges to overcome and interesting things to learn.

For further reading there is this very good short essay on the subject; http://www.philosophyetc.net/2005/09/why-be-rational.html

How can we achieve rationality?

As human beings it is standard and innate that we pick out patterns. That we would demand truth in our beliefs and that we are curious. Our education, both formal and through life experience is meant to improve these traits and tools for our own benefit.

Awareness of these human abilities is just as important as our possession of them. Our capacity to step back and observe from a hypothetical distance the things which we think and feel is vital to being successfully rational. That we can critically analyse the information we are given and the experiences we have is a true reflection of rationalist goals. Being truly rational allows us to set aside unreasonable beliefs based on conjecture and embrace real, material experiences and truth.

For a precise run through on how to know you are thinking rationally and to begin thinking more rationally check out this article. http://www.meersinc.com/learn-to-think-rationally/

I would really appreciate some comments below to let me know if I have left anything out or if anything needs clarifying. When it comes to casual debates, discussions and arguments. What do you generally think about the thought processes of the people you oppose?

Hacker's Guide to Astronomical Photography

2012-01-04T04:49:00.000-08:00

While no astronomical photo that I have been able to produce so far can compare with the views that Hubble is famous for I am pretty damn proud of my simple approach to using my telescope that has even the most reserved of my friends commenting on how good my space photos appear.

I call myself an amateur astronomer. I enjoy casual stargazing and in the last few months I have been very excited and encouraged by the photographs I have taken that give me a permanent record of my observations. I work on a very limited budget and take these photos using my smart phone. No sketching, no camera mount, no special software.

I am going to run through how to produce these very cheap photos without using any 'special equipment'.

Here are some of my favorite images;

My subject is based almost exclusively around the moon because its the easiest thing to observe through my very basic Tasco D=60mm F=700mm telescope. Only tonight have I been able to produce an identifiable photograph of Jupiter.

My method is pretty simple. I take my telescope, aim it at what I want to photograph and then I put the lens of my HTC Desire to the eyepiece, fiddle around until I get a view I am happy with and I snap away.

It is not at all an exact science. This method is simple but it requires a good sum of patience, a steady hand and haste. Here are a few points I have come across while trying to take these photos;

- The movement of the Earth; You need to move quickly between setting up the view you want to photograph and getting the camera into position. Getting the lens and eyepiece to sit together is not quite as easy as you would first think.

- Blur; Because of the sensitivity of the equipment. Even the smallest bump can cause the telescope to vibrate and may result in a less than awesome picture. Practice makes perfect. You might get a heap of dodgy photos, but if you keep with it and be patient you will come out with at least one, very impressive shot.

- Full Moon vs Half Moon; Half or partial moon is interesting to photograph particularly as different portions will be accentuated. I have found that photographing at full moon is easier and you get nicer views of some craters.

- Light; Because the light collected on the mirror is so focused it has been hard for me to create a photo of Jupiter which isn't flared. I don't know if that is quite the word to describe the effect but what I am trying to say is illustrated below.

This means that the bands which were showing up are obscured. With the amount of vibration that was also present I feel extensively lucky that I actually managed to capture at least three Jovian moons in the photo!

So I think thats it for my production methods. With better equipment your capacity to produce better photographs will grow. Things like filters, camera mounts and computer software all contribute to modern astronomical photography. There are some great books out there on the subject that are easy to understand and can get you out and seeing amazing sights as soon as dusk hits.

I have even experimented a bit with the video camera app on my phone. Once I work out how to use YouTube I might even post the results! - Happy Stargazing!

Ditch that Hovind Junk

2012-01-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

So we all had a bit of a snigger at the troll attempt of the guys over at Dr Dino. The blog post New Years Resolutions; For Atheists here was re-blogged, mentioned, linked to through heaps of tweets and as a result got a large number of views. All for something that wasn't all that witty or interesting anyway.

So why do we even bother with that junk? Here six much more legitimate new years resolutions;

1. Subscribe to some interesting YouTube Channels
       Two of my favorites are;
                                  Potholer54 - A science writer who debunks some of the most awful science on youtube. His work is interesting, funny and accurate. He goes to great lengths to source everything! Right now he is compiling video's for the 2012 Golden Crocoduck Awards. An annual prize for the creation scientist who most spectacularly breaks the ninth commandment.

   The Atheist Experience - A brilliant talk back public access program comming to you from Texas. These guys engage on their show with theists and atheists alike. It has heaps of variety, which makes it very interesting to watch.

2. Be more healthy
        I am not saying that it should be a huge change. Being 'thin' shouldn't be you're goal. Increasing your fitness, sleeping better, feeling healthy is the way you want to go. Make small changes and stick with them. Choose healthier options and take up a fun and interesting sport. Find healthier ways to reward yourself.

3. Join or form an atheist/free thought organisation
   Take advantage of whats on offer, attend debates, talks, gatherings and make new friends. Nothing in your area? Put an add in a pertinent newspaper/website and see if there is any interest in forming a local group.

4. Be more involved in your local community
This might not mean exclusively that you should 'jump on the community bandwagon' by attending to and thinking about all the good things that are happening in your area. Being involved in your community might mean trying to change something for the better. Is there too much alcohol related violence? Is there a drug problem? Homelessness? Are there adequate opportunities for young people? Is Government funding ending up in the right places?

5. Do some selfless good
      Volunteer, give to charity, give blood. Do some good deeds without the expectation of recognition or reward. You will be surprised at what you will learn, how happy you will feel and who will actually take the time to help you in return. Help break the silly misconception that people of non religion are less moral than those who submit to a higher power.

6. Debunk some crazy creationist theory
     Take your brain for a little walk. Research the real science behind something that a creationist has said or written. Post it in the comments section, make a video, post on a blog or even tweet it. Let these people know that it simply isn't OK to make stuff up because they feel God condones them in their quest to feed people misinformation.

New Years resolutions seem a tired pastime. They often come across as ultimately ineffective and a waste of thought power. Has anyone actually had a new years resolution come to bear fruit?

Days 6 and 7

2012-01-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

So I skipped a day, had a nice rest. Tonight I indulged in some astronomy. I watch in silence as Jupiter sits suspended overhead. It is very peaceful. The photo of the little dot of light is actually Jupiter.
In bad atmospheric conditions, with heat disrupting the sensitivity of the equipment I was able to get two distinct bands, not that they show up on the photo!

We Must Ask!

2012-01-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

Why is it important to question your beliefs?

This might sound like 'dangerous talk' but really, questions are the foundation of reasonable existence. Questions allow for individuality, progress and personal fulfillment. They allow us greater autonomy and have led to every amazing thing we know right now about the physical universe. Why should we stop questioning when we come to sacred ground? Why should we not demand a deity who stands up to scrutiny? Why should we be spoon fed an institutions steak seasoning of choice?

The following points may come under the heading of 'common sense'. I will point out the obvious in the hopes that to some, it might not be so obvious. My focus is to show how skepticism in everything from religion to where you're food came from can be of great benefit to you and the society in which you live. That questions are a powerful tool to learn what is true in life and what doesn't hold up so well to scrutiny. Isn't it true the last thing you want is to lead your life on the basis of a mistaken belief?

Questions are the foundation of Discovery!

What makes sun rise and set? What can I do to make this steak taste better? How do I maintain a healthy diet without steak? These are examples of questions we are all pretty certain have answers.

The point is though; if we didn't ask why the sun moves around the earth, we would have never discovered that instead, the earth moves around the sun! If you didn't want to know what made steak taste better, you would have to rely on chance to be introduced to the amazing world of sauces and gravies. If you never asked where your steak came from you might never have made the reasonable decision to stop eating steak. If we didn't ask questions we might never have known that vegetarians can substitute leafy greens and legumes for meat in their diet.

What is worse, if you don't rely on questions to get information, you can be led into awful misconceptions, you could be told that indeed the sun moves around the earth, that hot sauce is the only good thing to put on a steak. You could be encouraged to eat meat when the source of such sustenance is inhumanely produced.

If we never challenged authority through questioning then we would have never had any revolutions, peaceful or otherwise. If we did not challenge what others in power have said we would have been in danger of allowing war crimes and atrocities to go unpunished. For the sake of civility and servitude we still allow dangerous and ugly things to happen. If scientists didn't question their own work, we would have no scientific method. No cars, iPads, electric lights. Not even candles. We would be a subservient mass or worse – still animals.

Maybe you think I am overstating the importance of questions? If you do, I would say you haven't asked too many questions before. Challenge authority you say? I am only one person – no president or teacher or parent is really going to take it seriously when I ask them to explain themselves, they are knowledgeable and their answers make enough sense. I will go with those. That is where it becomes important that you know;

Questions help you to affirm things for yourself.

I think I tried five or six different sauces and gravies over my steak at various meals until I was served pepper gravy and decided 'yes, this one is definitely my favourite' I was given an in depth run down of the arguments for a singular omnipotent, omnipresent and wholly good being (according to Swinburne) before I decided that 'no, those don't quite make so much sense'. On the internet, in books, out in your own experience there are a number of different sources for the foundation of answers. They are all accessible to you once you begin to ask questions.

Most atheists will be able to give you substantial arguments for why they don't follow religion. Most of those will be able to explain how morality can be derived from something other than religion. Others will be able to give you a very thorough run down on why it isn't depressing that this life is all you have. Nearly all of them will be able to clearly tell you the merits of their favourite steak or salad dressing. Why? Because questions are the beginning of their understanding. Every atheist who believes this will never demand of you that you simply 'submit to hot sauce as the ideal steak topping' Unfortunately they will say that a great amount of legwork is up to you, as an individual and intelligent human being, to decide for yourself once you have done the appropriate thought experiments.

But isn't this responsibility important? Doesn't this opportunity for deciding things for yourself allow great freedom in the individual? How many different things about your identity would be taken away if you didn't question or learn or enjoy the results of this labour? Why is it so easy to say that 'its alright to question one thing, but there are other things that should not be questioned'? To what extent do we withhold our questions as followers of religion? To what extent are we liberated once we begin to ask?

Perhaps your questioning will give you greater meaning in your faith, perhaps it will lead you to a different faith. Perhaps you will discover that the elegant simplicity of a steak without seasoning is tastier than the cheese sauce. You wont know the answers unless you ask.

'That in order to seek truth, it is necessary once in the course of our life, to doubt, as far as possible, of all things.' Descartes – The Selections from the Principles of Philosophy

Day #5

2011-12-31T06:03:00.001-08:00

After the party! Waiting for taxi. Brilliant night, jagerbombs and wonderful friends!

Happy New Year!

Day #4

2011-12-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

Day #4

New year, new diary, new possibilities!

Why do you matter?

2011-12-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

That we have the capacity to ask this question is a testament to our progress as a species. Each person will answer this question differently, even though there might be some overlap in ideologies in quite a few places. This is a big question. For some its hard to imagine why anyone at the common individual level would matter at all.

This isn't the only question one really needs to answer in life. But to understand that you have the potential to have a real and significant effect on the world around you is of vital importance to your well being. Knowing that you matter will have a profound impact on the way that you conduct yourself in life. Wouldnt it encourage you to maximize what you achieved in life?

Most of us dont seem to think about this question at all. At the very least they have already assigned themselves some deserved degree of importance and without further adieu moved on to the equally important question of 'What do I want to get out of life'. This too is an important question. It will change depending on your interests and your political/geographical/economic conditions. Answering the question of 'why do you matter' is never a prerequisite to answering this question.

So, Why do you matter?

If you have ever engaged with any other human being in the workplace, at school, at parties, in church, while volunteering, you will have experiences of where you directly effected another person. You will most certainly have experiences of other people effecting you. Your parents or carers being an obvious source of these experiences. You will know how others can harm or improve your enjoyment and experiences of life. This understanding is very important in considering the source of morality.

This knowledge that others can harm or improve your state of life should lead you to the understanding that you can do the same to others. This is a lesson that every toddler learns very early. Sometimes it is good to remember these simple lessons as they can bring clarity to how you perceive the world through the complex eyes of an adult. Remembering this certainly helps me out and it is the basis of my entire view on life.

You matter, and I matter, based on the effects that we can have in the world. It might be the case a person with greater resources can have a greater effect. But does any of this matter if they do not have the capacity for personal control, choice and responsibility to begin with? What is more important than the capacity for control at the minimum level? You matter because as a human being, you are unique in your capacity to intelligently interact in the world.

You can have children, attend school and university, be nice to the people you are serving at the checkout, get involved in your local community. Have a meaningful relationship with a significant other. There are limitless possibilities. Just do your best to do what is best.

30 Day Challenge; Day 3

2011-12-29T03:08:00.000-08:00

Day Three - A WTF Moment

So I was walking along in a shop and this caught my eye. I understand that there may be some reason to ever want one of these. But to market a fan which has mp3 playback? Really? What sort of person suggested this at the product development meeting? Why did this idea come to fruition?

This is an expensive product too, at $169 you really are paying for the 'convenience'. But what sort of consumers are we humans, that after having a computer, a mp3 player (maybe with speakers?) smart phones and older technology like CD players, that we would be receptive to this sort of product?

Other notable points of the day, I was listed on the Atheist blogroll! I also discovered (Or was led to) The Atheist Experience

I have joined the Atheist Blogroll!

2011-12-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

This is very exciting for me! This means that my blog will be getting more exposure!

The Atheist blogroll is a very important resource, its a list of blogs that are all written from an atheist point of view. These cover a varying range of subjects and focuses. If you have an atheist blog that you want to add to this list, please go to http://mojoey.blogspot.com/ and follow the links in the sidebar.

If you are interested in looking at other quality blogs that are members of the blogroll, click the badge on my sidebar. There is some really interesting stuff there and you will be sure to learn something useful or entertaining. This is a free service provided by the man responsible for the blog above.

I look forward to exploring the large number of blogs on this list, and it feels great to be able to identify with a community!

Misrepresented?

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

This post directly relates to a number of goings on recently with the internet and my adventure begins here; http://skepchick.org/2011/12/reddit-makes-me-hate-atheists/ Watson writes very effectively, and her choice of title gets precisely the result any blogger wants; page views. She also points out a very serious issue, that there is a culture on the internet which condones the sexualisation of under-age girls. HUGE SURPRISE

I when I started this blog, I always thought that I would be posting from a neutral standpoint. I think the points I make here will go to and from. But I never thought I would even address this sort of issue.

I would claim that Watson's post, even though it points out this serious issue, is clearly pushing her agenda. Just as this insightful Reddit member points out; she only chooses the comments that make her case. http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/nt5x6/a_response_to_reddit_makes_me_hate_atheists/

Watson could have done so much with the examples she chose for her post. She could have cited how massive the child pornography racket is on the internet and how these 'jovial comments' do nothing to prevent the issue. She could have provided some good advice for young girls posting on the internet – a 'how to' on preventing this happening. She could have taken a shot at encouraging censorship, started a campaign to have the particular reddit accounts who commented removed or demanded apology. Nup, because the dominant number of atheists are white males, its obviously their fault that women are misrepresented and degraded in the atheist community.

What are we meant to take away from her post? That all women in the atheist community are ultra feminist? As the director of Skepchick, she really does represent a large number of us. Or should I say, misrepresent?

Before reading her post, I wasn't a member of Reddit. So of course I had to go have a look at the 'travesty' for myself. And after four decent hours of lurking and getting involved in conversation I really don't see how that comments responding to the one post = the atheist community on reddit. Thinking about it, its really rather insulting.

As an atheist with a reasonably developed system of philosophy, my personal concern is simply getting on with life. I am tired of the 'does god exist' arguments that are repeated everywhere on the internet in a vain attempt at reasoning with the faithful. Visiting other blogs, hanging out on youtube channels like Potholer54 are great, they generally present well developed views and a good variety of intellectual content. The reason that I enjoyed visiting Reddit, and the reason I will go back to the atheist subreddit is because its clearly just a place to chill out, its for the funny ones, for those who don't have the time or the inclination to commit to a blog. For the less articulate atheists among us who need advice. We need a break from the ultra intellectual every now and then. Don't we?

Either way, she got lots of views, had another moment in the spotlight, pissed off the @AmazingAtheist and others. Now I am going to link a very good blog post from someone with a much more balanced opinion on the issue http://owningyourshit.blogspot.com/2011/07/patriarchy-shmatriarchy.html Thanks to @AmazingAtheist for tweeting that, I feel a billion times smarter after reading it.

30 Day Challenge #2

2011-12-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

Day Two - Bad Weather Returns

The day was very quiet. After such lovely weather yesterday and this morning I am dismayed that it is once again becoming cloudy and stormy.

My good deed for the day - Walked past a beetle that I noticed was upside down and couldn't correct itself. So I put him the right way up. Ok, so I didn't feed anyone who was hungry or do something 'huge' but I feel really good anyway that I took the few seconds to help out a defenseless little beetle.

I also received a great tweet from a reader that really made me feel good about myself and the work that I have been doing. Best moment of the day!

30 Days in Pictures #1

2011-12-27T06:11:00.000-08:00

Day One - Fairy Lights

Attended a little get together at a friends house. It was great to visit and great to meet some new people too. My day was spent mostly reading and writing and getting out of the house was good for me. Really happy I had the opportunity! It is amazing what good a little human contact does. One thing that went really well for me today was that I reached 290 blog views. It has become a bit of a hobby of mine to sit back and watch the stats tick.

When this post came up at one of my favorite websites I jumped at the chance to challenge myself to complete #30. I will be following other suggestions to the best of my ability. I hope the changes will show to people who know me.

This serves as a reasonably interesting filler I hope. Depending on the day I might have more or less to say. Particularly as I reflect on what went well for me. I like the idea of having a little snapshot of life and this fits in well with the focus of my blog. I will still be posting on 'bigger' ideas and thoughts just as regularly. I need to get into a good writing habit before I go back to University!

Death to the Atheist

2011-12-26T04:29:00.000-08:00

What does death mean to me as an atheist? Why do I prefer this over a religious alternative?

Death to me is mechanical. Death marks the end of my life and signifies that all of my physical and mental processes have stopped. To me there is no afterlife or anything beyond. No heaven and hell. The only way that I will last beyond death is in the memories of the people who knew me and in the material things which I have written or created.

Does this leave me depressed? Thinking that I wont be able to go on living forever? To think that one day, everything I know will be extinguished?

No, not depressed. Maybe a little afraid, after all I am only 22 years old and should hope to have many years in front of me. Most importantly I see this one relatively short existence as my only opportunity, my only life. Everything contained within it amounts precisely to who I am. My actions and thoughts and motivations are everything I have to identify myself. What good I do is as equally important as the bad things I do. Whether by choice or through ignorance.

Why do I choose this over the religious alternative? I choose to identify with atheistic principles because the alternative is not acceptable to me. Religion takes away my responsibility for myself, my rights and wrongs are determined for me by that divine 'objective' set of morals. Responsibility for the way I choose to repent, apologise and repair my wrong doings is also taken away.

I feel insulted that I could ever be absolved of my wrongs simply because I am sorry, simply because we have that supposedly ultimate being there willing to take them away at the cost of a human life. I do not choose that and given the option I would not choose it. So I may be condemned to hell for refusing this 'gift' and scapegoat. At least I will have been entirely responsible for the choices that I have made.

But since I reject the principle that there is a supernatural element to the afterlife, or life at all. I really don't have a problem. I am not troubled by rejecting God and I can continue on my merry way. This view of mine in no way diminishes the value of life. It increases it. In my view and by these principles there is nothing more valuable than the platform of life on which we exist and there is no reason to do anything other than to simply live for its own sake. We cant shift responsibility for our actions on this divine being and we cant justify anything simply because it will lead us to glory in the afterlife.

I guess I want to pose a question now to the theists out there. As I have a small readership I don't expect many responses. The question is this; If the religion you belonged to promised no afterlife, none at all. That death was simply the end of your existence. Would you be able to justify the 'objective' morals and truths that your God imposes? And if you could justify them, would you be inclined to follow them? Knowing that at the end of it all you would simply not exist anyway? Why or Why not?

The gift that will keep giving

2011-12-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

I received a Hitchens book titled 'Arguably' for Christmas. First time I have ever enjoyed reading an Introduction! The book is a collection of Essays and I am working through them in cover to cover order. Even though there are some that have awfully tempting titles a bit further along.

I have finished off the first four essays. Hitchens is enjoyable to read and his subject matter is so interesting. As I am an Australian reader and the first part of his book covers American themes - not something I am well versed on or really care about too much. I didn't think I would really enjoy what he had to say. Instead I find myself learning some interesting things and being entertained.

Looking forward to reading more! It is a mammoth book so it should last me until at least new years.

Is the Catholic Church the best place for Father Bob?

2011-12-24T05:22:00.000-08:00

I know this title will illicit manyresponses. What I want to make clear is that I respect Father BobMaguire, I feel he has made a great contribution to Australian youth.It his faith and his convictions that have carried him through hislife and inspired him in his work. His dedication to the Australianpeople and those who the Australian people welcome from afar isirrefutable. He is not a victim and I don't want to portray him thatway. He clearly understands his place and the work he undertakes.This is my opinion, but I feel his work speaks for itself. Check outhis website http://www.fatherbob.com.au/

What I mean to say by my title is thatI wish to consider for discussion whether or not being an institutedmember of the Catholic Church has ultimately hampered his capacityand his resources to help those that have been the object of his hardwork for so many years. I base my concerns on how the hierarchy ofthe Catholic Church are so easily sweeping aside this beacon ofChristian decency, faith and dedication and removing him from histechnical responsibilities as Parish Priest simply because of his age– at least that's what the Papers are saying and it seems to be theofficial story.

Don't get me wrong, without theCatholic Church, Father Bob wouldn't be a Father Bob, it is hisidentity, it is the base of his life, his valuable life. It isentirely his personal choice what he does and he has done far betterthan so many in their long years. He is clearly capable of makinggood decisions. The support of his Parishioners and his Church HAVEprobably contributed much to his resources over the years. But nowthe Church has made a decision for him which he clearly doesn't thinkis in the best interests of himself and his Parish. He even appealsto his supporters to take action on his behalf, to let the Churchknow precisely what its decision will mean for those living in theMelbourne area. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-04/new-document6/3626554

It is clear he is dedicated to theChurch, it is admirable, as an atheist I certainly don't have thatkind of conviction.

This is a clear division though, of'people power' versus 'the institution'.

The institution, the Catholic Church.Is a male run, male dominated Monarchy. The instituted leaders of theCatholic Church (Bob being a member of that leadership) receives itsauthority from God as defined by the Bible and various doctrineinstituted over the years of the Church's foundation. The Catechismbeing the dominant manuscript. These have resulted in the Churchhaving mostly clear rules, mostly clear ideologies and has caused itto be effective in leading its lay members over a good thousand yearsor two. There may be more to say about precisely how effective it hasbeen in preserving its message through its actions but that isn't thepurpose of the discussion.

Then there is the lay majority. Thefamilies who compose parishes around the world, who embodyCatholicism in their daily lives and are devout. In this men andwomen are said to be equal, (maybe) . It is demanded that in beingdevout that they identify with the Catholic Church's teachings, andfollow them in the strictest practicable way. There are some whosensibly realise that some of these demands are too high, and chooseto live equally good lives, but without the restrictive particulars.In all of the lay majority it is considered the first and dominantthing to be concerned with is that Jesus loves all unconditionally,and that he embodies what it is to be a perfect human being.

Logically and in my hypotheticalsituation; these two do not match. Thanks to our liberatingexperiences and our 'blessed' opportunity to be born into ademocratic nation. We seem to think unconsciously that the power ofthe people should also extend to this Monarchy that is the CatholicChurch. I simply don't see how someone who is devout should expectthis. The Pope claims to have direct unquestionable power from God.UNQUESTIONABLE? That means that he knows best and you shouldn'tquestion it. By extension, those who act in the Popes name, down thehierarchy all have that unquestionable power from the unquestionableresource. Shouldn't you simply agree?

How does this tie back to Father Boband his situation right now? Its only my opinion, Father Bob maydisagree with me. But I see him as a person of the People, for thePeople and in the name of God. What I see the Catholic Church as? ForGod, in the name of God, and in this system, all of his followersmerely lambs, children and servants to his divine will as institutedby this Church. Might I go so far as to say slaves?

In this time where the Church wouldpresent these challenges to Father Bob, wouldn't it be simply moreeffective that he be free, under his own will in the name of God (asthat is clearly his preference) to continue his good work? What I amsuggesting I don't even expect Bob to entertain. It is heresy. Why?Because the Church defines this as clearly contradicting its will. Agood servant should never contradict the will of the master. It is anon democratic system. Father Bobs situation is a clear demonstrationthat the Church is imperfect in it's capacity to serve those thatdedicate their lives to it. I am not talking about one person now, Iam talking about all of those people who Father Bob has engaged withand whose lives he has helped to improve.

Disclaimer: This is a BLOG post, I amclearly no expert, I haven't been vetted by any institution and I amonly taking advantage of the liberties the internet allows in sharingmy OPINIONS. You may agree or disagree. You may challenge what I say.I am happy to talk about it. I also reserve the right to avoidtalking about it as I have the duty to myself to maintain my sanity.

I have signed this petition in supportof Father Bob being reinstated in the position that the Church seeksto remove him from. I encourage everyone to sign in principle tosupport a man who is clearly a 'good thing' for the people ofMelbourne and his Parishioners.http://www.change.org/petitions/reinstate-father-bob-maguire-as-parish-priest-south-melbourne-savefatherbob

For this post I will be monitoring comments. Keep them civil please. Anonymity will also be suspended for a short time. Sorry to those who I can normally trust to preserve their sense of personal responsibility.

So much for Personal Validation...

2011-12-23T01:16:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how my mood can go from to enthusiastic and hopeful to crashing in such short a space of time. I am writing to you amidst one of these crashes. I'd like to be able to cover this in a more objective light. But really this is just one of those things involved in being a Cog.

My self esteem has been pretty low over the last few months. Its been so low that I haven't cared at all about anything much. Thanks to some hard work by some great professionals I find my self esteem, self worth and general mood about everything has become more positive. I guess that as a result of this, things that I didn't concern myself with when I was 'down' are now meaning a lot more to me. Things like friends, social interaction and having people around me. I guess I was absent as myself from my social circles for so long that people simply learned to live without me. If there is any time for a human being to feel pathetic, singular and imperfect its now. This is just one in a long line of previous Friday nights where I have held myself back because of how I've come to be so singular, because of my inadequacy to maintain social connections. It hurts quite a lot.

This has extended to my inability to keep a job, and certainly hampered my job searching efforts.

I guess I am just going to embrace how I am feeling now and go for a walk along the River, this is only low self esteem. It doesn't last forever but it sure as hell doesn't feel so good now.

Christmas as an Atheist

2011-12-22T23:40:00.000-08:00

So it's Christmas time, I am frantically trying to get together Christmas gifts, prepare for lunch (making a tiramisu) and convince my partner that it will be fun to be among my sisters three bouncy children while they explore their new toys.

I completely reject the existence of God and yet I celebrate a holiday associated with the birth of Jesus. I must have something messed up somewhere? Probably. Keep in mind that I also deny completely the existence of Santa.

I don't celebrate Christmas because its the day that has been designated as Jesus' birth date. In my family Christmas is a time for family, gifts (being the consumer focused time it is), food and alcohol. Precisely in that order. I have a fulfilling time and so does the rest of my family.

So I will be celebrating Christmas - but not in the religious sense. I'm not going to re name it, re label it or call it Xmas because I am intelligent enough to recognise its source. It is a religious holiday and sacred to many. But for me another day, another very expensive, fattening day.

Merry Christmas everyone! No matter how you celebrate it!

"Christmas is the Disneyfication of Christianity" Don Culpitt

In one sentence, what do you wish for your future self?

2011-12-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

This question comes again from the list 95 Questions to Help you Find Meaning and Happiness. I like this question because it offers me a nice quick blog post in the busy Christmas period. Because it asks such a small question. How would you answer it? Id love some comments below. This also relates to the comment discussion I had with Anonymous here.

So In one sentence, what do I wish for my future self?

I wish my future self to be able to live in the moment and enjoy the small things as well as having a fulfilling job that earns a reasonable wage.

It certainly is a challenge to sum up your hopes and dreams in one sentence!

The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time - Abraham Lincoln

The almost fatal false start

2011-12-20T20:56:00.000-08:00

This blog post is in reference to my previous one, regarding the question of 'What do I need most right now?' I am pretty happy with how I explored the content. But what I do still want to work through is how I almost made a critical error in the conclusion of my discussion.

Rather than the conclusion I came up with, which was What I need most right now are personal goals I instead, almost embarrassingly decided that what I needed most was objective recognition or in another sense, a way of objectively recognising my success. I don't know if the ramifications of this are apparent to you immediately, it wasn't until I was half way through writing the last blog post that I realised precisely what the implications of saying this were.

When I boil it down though, what I was initially asking for was some way, outside of myself to judge how I was doing in life; University exam and assignment results, success within the organisation I volunteer for, how many visits I get to this blog. Just for starters. What I almost did, was commit myself to measuring how well my life was going based on outside forces, on how other people viewed me and my work. I'm glad I stopped myself and went in a different direction.

I think the key result between this conclusion and the one that I think I will stick with is that goal setting is a way of measuring the success of my life on a smaller scale, I can look at my everyday life and look at how I am doing. This makes my self improvement on my own terms (as outlined in my previous post), giving me responsibility and control.

Mistakes are the portals of discovery. - James Joyce

What do you need most right now?

2011-12-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

Before I begin I'd like to ask you to consider this question for yourself (just take a few moments). I found this question among a list of a few questions I would like to tackle and expose my answers to here on this blog. I am going to change the wording in this question to read What do I need most right now? I intend to discuss this question in a very personal light.

So what is it that I feel I need most right now? A number of things come to mind, money would be nice as I have a few bills piling up with no consistent way to pay them, my laptop recently died and as I am heading back to Uni, having my own computer would be a big help in study and production of work. A job would probably solve both of those problems, so maybe a job is what I need? Maybe I want time to speed up. I go back to Uni in February after a semesters break and I am keen to finally finish my degree. Unfortunately for me, I don't really see time speeding up as a solution to anything - I wouldn't want to miss the full enjoyment of Christmas with my family. Part of me feels that greater discipline would benefit me, or even better if someone could magically wave a wand over my head and make me a person of action - If that were to happen maybe I would have a spotless house and a healthy exercise regime.

So maybe what I need is an attitude adjustment. As I write these words I sigh to myself and say 'but thats so hard'. Really, I understand why I say that. Because its the same thing I say when I do consider getting my chores done or going out for a jog, or doing something I know needs to be done but for some mysterious reason I always end up leaving - to the detriment of my personal condition. What can I do to repair this? My first consideration is a goal and reward system of thought which would provide me with personal direction.

I could probably talk about a million other things that I might need. But in my current state (which will most likely change) I am going to stick with this answer; What I need most right now are personal goals and methods in which to reward myself. I think that I have just determined something which I probably knew all along. I want to take the next step now and begin to act on my realisation. How am I going to set up a personal goal and reward system and maintain it? Well this website gives a thorough, reasonable look at setting those big goals and smaller daily goals.

So let me have a go at it now. I am going to begin with a big goal, and under that goal I am going to set out the smaller goals that will help me achieve it.

1. Finishing my university degree
To finish my university degree, a Bachelor of Arts with a major in philosophy. Would be to finish a major chapter in my life and would open up so many doors for me. Finishing my degree means that I have better employment options and is also an accomplishment in itself. What goals will I set to help me on the road to finishing university?

Reading often - reading subject matter that will prepare me for reading the tough stuff that is often presented in lectures. So sub goal - read a little bit each day.
Writing often - I cant write a good essay if I only polish one off at the end of each course. Sub goal, continue regular blog posts - reward myself by noting how many readers I get.
Do ALL of my homework - I wont be able to work on this until I actually start back. Hopefully the previous two goals will set a good disciplined pace.

2. Keeping my home clean, tidy and well presented.
This speaks for itself, a tidy home means I enjoy my surroundings more. I really spend a lot of time at home so this means I have lots of time to;

Keep doing small and regular chores which over a course amount to a clean house. I think I often set myself this goal and often I fizzle out after a mammoth effort and then it degrades. MUST BE CONSISTENT! How might I reward myself with this?

3. Be physically health and fit
I am most certainly not the figure of good health. I am 'heavily set' and have a bad habit of emotional eating. I don't often do a lot of physical exercise and would benefit from a fair bit more. As such, my minimal goals are going to be (in the beginning)

Jog once per week: As a start I know this wont really help a lot, but I want to do this in conjunction with
Swimming for an hour or more at least three times per week. I find that it should be practicable for me to wake up in the morning, put my swimmers on, take my partner to work and then drop by the pool on the way back. Three times per week.
Eat better. Make a conscious decision to not purchase any indulgent foods more than once per week (We all need a treat now and then) Also I must search for equally enjoyable foods that might be a bit nicer on my waistline.

4. Spend more time with friends
Over the last few months I have been rather reclusive and not such a great person to be around. As such I have really fell out of touch with a lot of people. And as I am a social creature I think a little more interaction might do me well. My sub goals then become;

To initiate conversation with friends - This might be over facebook, a chat program, text messaging or if I see them on the street. My intention will be to say hi and to catch up on how things have been with them.
To do my best to attend every social event I'm invited too. Money is an issue for me at the moment, so there may be some I simply cannot afford to attend.
Within the next two months stage my own social event.

These are some big goals, and hopefully some more achievable little goals that I will be able to follow. For the moment I have, in my own mind adequately discussed and determined What it is I need most right now. As people change, as I change maybe this will too. I might revisit this in a few years. Maybe after I am satisfied that a number of my goals have been achieved.

Finding Content

2011-12-20T04:48:00.000-08:00

I found today probably one of the most important websites I think I will ever see in my life. http://www.marcandangel.com/ presents thought provoking articles and masses of content. In a time where my blog is new and my hopes for its continuation are high. I feel that reflecting on this website might just help me improve myself and provide me with what I need to produce a comprehensive look at my own life and my place within my community, both local and global.

Looking forward to tackling some of the questions that this website presents coming soon, I intend to discuss the question "What do you need most right now?" from this list of 95 Questions to help you find meaning and happiness.

I'll take up this challenge tomorrow. I will sleep soundly until then because I know that life has a whole lot left to give me, I just need to reach out and grab it.

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death” - Albert Einstein

Why I do good things

2011-12-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

Whether or not I am a 'good person' is of great concern to me. I often consider my actions retrospectively and am pretty self critical. Studying philosophy has probably compounded that, what is more convenient as a study subject than myself anyway? I am very certainly an atheist, and very certainly (and proudly) I claim that no religious doctrines govern my actions.

So in a world where so many subscribe to a moral code supposedly set forth by God. How do I determine whether or not my actions or beliefs are morally right or wrong and what motivation do I have to perform morally right actions in the first place? I feel this question is pretty mindless - to ask this assumes that humans are mere animals, or children who don't know better when their master or parent is absent. Those that ask this question should really examine themselves, and consider why it is they would imply this, and why their doctrine would encourage them to think in this matter.

There are a number of ethical and moral theories that I will refer too, some I feel strongly about, others I feel are convenient and provide a point of view that others may lack. Virtue ethics, set forth by Aristotle, and Utilitarianism determined by Mills are by far my two 'picks'. I hold very strongly that I never perform a moral act with fear of God in mind, I don't believe in damnation or eternal life in heaven. I have only one short life in which to leave my print on the world before I pass into nothingness. I have no way to be absolved of my bad decisions, my 'sins' stay with me all my life and are just as much a part of me as the good things I do.

If I don't act out of fear of God, then what is my main motivation for being a 'good person'? I feel I have a pretty reasonable and standard answer. I act to always to maintain or improve my standard of welfare and to enjoy what I have in life. Welfare has a very broad definition, and the beauty of it in my eyes is that it is malleable. In my personal opinion, having a tertiary education, a loving male partner and an active role in my community all contribute to my personal sense of good quality welfare. The same may not be true however for somebody else. What also positively contributes to my welfare is stable government, good medical care, adequate nutritional food and a warm, secure place to sleep at night. These things, it can be said have an influence over everybodies welfare, but its almost impossible to have personal control over many of these instances.

Being happy, enjoying my life is also of great importance to me and having a high standard of welfare only encourages that. It is no wonder then that Hedonism and Utilitarianism aim to promote happiness as inherently good. Being happy is an indication that something is going well in my life, seeing others be happy is an indication that their lives are on a positive path and seeing people who are unhappy shows me that perhaps there are people out there far less fortunate than myself.

This consideration for others is key in morality. If I were the last human being alive on the planet I would surely have no reason to act any particular way other than how I pleased. I could take what I want from wherever I wanted. I could do whatever I should wish. But I am sure that due to the lack of possible victims my capacity for immoral action would be hampered. The reason that morality is such an important consideration is because it requires us to recognize that our actions impact people other than ourselves this understanding is an amazing function most likely brought about by our evolution as a social species.

I begin my assessment of a morally related situation by considering the effects on me. This is important because I do not want to sabotage myself. I would never want to willfully make a decision that would lead to my harm in any but the most extreme circumstances and ideally I would always want to ensure that I received most benefit. I also want to ensure that I can rationally accept and defend any position I have in line with all of my beliefs and understandings. After considering this, and checking it all out I can then take time to look at how my actions might impact others, whether harm would come to them on account of me, whether they receive any benefit, or if I would be responsible for leaving them at a particular disadvantage. Taking into account the laws of my government and social conventions is also pretty important because I am quite sure that being in prison would not classify as an improvement in my welfare or as a happiness inducing situation, even though I would have a few years where I would never have to stress about how fashionable my wardrobe is.

Does following all of these checks result in me being a good person? Do they result in me doing or believing good things? I follow Virtue Ethics to provide myself with yet another check. This system sets out all of the qualities, or 'virtues' that the model of a good human being would posses. What I really like about this system is that if you work hard enough, any human being at all can posses these virtues. You can find virtues in almost anyone - in the average person they will be generally balanced, but in some they may be twisted or particularly off centre. Criminals with a well developed sense of discipline are often some of the most dangerous people you will meet.

I guess I have spoken very generally here to cover the foundations of my personal moral code. I am sure that the God fearing person would claim that I have no right to freely determine what I know is or is not good action. There are volumes I could write concerning my stance on abortion, gay marriage, free speech and theft. I have a fair bit to say about what a waste of oxygen that parliament question time has become. I guess if anyone really wants to know what I think, they will ask. But in the meantime I am content to explore the massive little personal piece of the universe that I hold so dear.

"Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something." - Henry David Thoreau

On the death of Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

Being previously unenlightened to his work, I feel utterly devastated at his recent death. My only consolation is knowing I have much reading to do and much to discover about Hitchens, his works are a new (to me) frontier to explore.

I aim to fill this blog with my own content to cover my view of what it is to be a single member of a larger local and global community. I always strive for reason and the 'middle road' - extreme discussion is educational, extreme action is abhorrent. I hope my essays will adequately communicate my views and if I could be a shadow of what Hitchens was, then I would surely have reached a height I have previously felt out of reach.