naught101 @ naught101 @lemmy.world

Posts

10

Comments

660

Joined

1 yr. ago

Damn, I really should have thought about these responses before I posted this question. My inbox is flooded with comments that are kinda anxiety inducing, until I remember the context 😂

I was also an atheist, but moved more towards some kind of materialistic animism (I'm aware that doesn't sound like it makes sense).

Eastern philosophy has some cool stuff in it, I need to read some more of it.

Also: I fucking love your username. Excellent work.

Oooh, another one that's well worth a read is Richard Dawkin's The Selfish Gene.

I think Dawkins is a bit of a dick, and his brand of combative atheism is unpleasant at best, and probably counterproductive. But he is (or was) an amazing writer on evolutionary biology, and that book's the best explanation of how evolution works that I've read. (Also, it's NOT about selfishness at the human scale, the world is used metaphorically, and there is even a chapter or two explaining how altruism could have developed).

His book The Blind Watchmaker is also good for it's exploration of abiogenesis, though it's a bit later and it has a bit of the anti-religious arrogance of some of his newer approach.

These aren't really about atheism, but more providing an alternative world view that undermines the obviousness of creationism.

Haha, I read this thread hours ago, and then just came back and posted almost exactly this comment, before seeing that you already had 😂

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett is a fun and thought-provoking fantasy, focused on religion and it's social effects. It also has a pretty funny take on atheism.

Some of his other books makes some really great points about belief in general, particularly The Hogfather, the witches books, and Feet Of Clay.

Well, even one is too many, and the number is much higher than one, so it still seems like a valid concern when running a service

Ah, I see. I rest it as your now self giving your younger self advice

Wow, that sounds like some bullshit. I'm in Aus, and though I said I can't remember it, I feel like it wasn't that completely useless here. Or maybe it was for some.

Maybe that's because "the Australian Dream" (if it exists), is going to the beach and drinking beer 😆

:(

Are you OK? Have you got access to some kind of therapy?

You could do what you like, but that doesn't answer the question

Sooo... Narcissists are a type of vampire?

Mine would say: What? You're working with finance people? WTF? Traitor!

But if I explained it a bit more, I reckon they'd be pretty into it, and kind of impressed.

I bought heaps of bitcoin in the early 2010s. And spent it all on drugs. Ironically, I think that turned out to be an excellent investment (just not financially).

Oooh yeah. Break-ups can turn out to be wild growth phases sometimes, if you're paying attention and approaching it in a useful way.

Like, you were completely unaware of it at that point, or you just didn't think it would happen?

You read the question backwards (you weren't the only one :/ )

I have no memory of what mine said... But yeah, in my experience people who start out one one path and switch on to a totally different one often seem like more interesting and well rounded and happy people. I imagine guidance counselling would often be nearly impossible. At least in the sense of suggesting a career path - I guess just answering questions could still be really useful.

I clearly worded this question in a difficult way. You're not the only one who understood it backwards.

That's sad that you all had to deal with it, but awesome that you managed to break out of that cycle of abuse. Sounds almost a bit collaborative over the long run.. Thanks for sharing!