Just To Say…

…I haven’t posted anything for a while now, because most of my writing effort is going into a work of fiction that is taking up what free time I have that I’d usually spend blogging.

This gives you, the reader, the perfect opportunity to read some of my archived material and discover for yourself why my blog was voted Best Blog in the World 2007, by me.

Keep checking back!

Planetarium for your PC

I came across a piece of software this morning that is a must, if you like astronomy or planetariums!

It allows you to scan the heavens in 360 degrees, external to earth. It’s also in real time so you can see the earth as it would look in space right now, and where day and night are.

Here’s the link: http://celestia.sourceforge.net/ (opens in new tab)

And here’s a screenshot from my computer of the earth in space at this moment in time, 12.42 pm GMT:

One of the Pleasures of Life

In my opinion, there are very few pleasures in life greater than music. Okay, there’s friendship, love, sex etc. But I’m not even sure how you’d classify the pleasure you can derive from listening to a song you love. A great song, a great voice, great lyrics, can be pleasurable emotionally, intellectually, and even physically.

It is so hard to pin down exactly what it is about music that can make it so addictive and why humans would evolve to invent and then appreciate it, that it seems almost magical, almost irrational. But I believe it is anything but. If there is anything to be said for the human soul, it can be found, and evoked, in music, as in other forms of art (something that is seriously lacking in the world today). After all, animals have no appreciation for music. Music has meaning, and songs have power, but only to a being that can draw inferences from sound, and tie lyrics and tunes to memories, emotions, and fantasies. In other words, it takes a conceptual mind. It takes a rational mind, an intelligence.

A life without art, without music, would be no life at all. It would be soulless.

My 40k

The hit count on my blog has just smashed through the 40,000 barrier in just under 12 months, and although I’ve not researched this properly, I’m pretty sure that makes it the best blog ever written, ever.

Here are some not so interesting facts about the number 40,000:

It comes after the number 39,999

There is a game called Warhammer 40,000

A man took 40000 ecstasy tabs in a nine year span

It comes before the number 40,001

40,000 is a round number

Asteroid 40000 has the provisional designation 1998 HZ87 and was discovered on April 21^st 1998 in Socorro

40,000 is the only number to end with four zeros and start with one four

A footprint of early humans found in Mexico was 40,000 years old

40,000+ is the visitor count of popular, intelligent, and witty writer Evanescent

 

I originally posted my blog on MySpace as a way to rant incoherently about football and everyday things that pissed me off in an attempt to look cleverer than I was. That’s not me anymore – I’ve stopped writing about football.

I’ve moved from just “atheist” to “humanist” to “anti-theist”, before discovering Ayn Rand, and I proudly identify myself as an Objectivist now. Not only has this been of great personal benefit to me, I think it gave my blog a whole new lease of life. I’ve also had the dubious pleasure of having many political and ethical debates as a result.

I haven’t posted much recently as nothing has moved me to write an in-depth article, and I’m also drafting a perennially-planned work of fiction. I’ll release more information about this in the coming months. Needless to say this will make me rich and famous, but I won’t forget you my readers, the little people, for putting me where I am.

Total Lunar Eclipse - Wed 20th Feb 08

Today (Wednesday 20^th February 2008 – yeah that’s right America, I put the date in the correct format!) sees a total lunar eclipse. Or more precisely, tonight does.

I encourage everyone to take a walk outside tonight and look up and check out this fantastic phenomenon. Or if you live in Manchester, just poke your head of out the cardboard box.

Unfortunately it’ll take place at about 3am here in England, so if I do get up to see it what do you want to bet the sky will probably be overcast? Yes that’s right, believe it or not it does cloud over from time to time in England. That’s a bit harsh really, given the beautiful weather and clear skies we’ve had lately. For the first time in months the British public was treated to a rare sight indeed. The sun. I don’t care though – I hate the sun. My friends have started calling me a vampire. I just thought that had something to do with the black nail varnish and leather. I’m joking – I don’t wear leather.

Here is the MSN Link for the total lunar eclipse: http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=7587885

And the same from Facebook which shows what times the eclipse will be visible around the world: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=19232260290

If anyone observes this amazing spectacle and gets any good pictures (of the moon) or wants to describe it from their POV, drop me a comment.

 

 

Liars and Plagiarists

I came across a blog a while ago on Myspace because it linked to my blog here at WordPress, as there were hyperlinks in the article. As soon as I started reading, I noticed how well-written and articulate it was – and how much I agreed with the viewpoints expressed. In fact, it reminded me of something I had written myself. No surprise, because it was something I’d written! The “blogger” in question (I use that word lightly, I should say ‘plagiarist’) had simply copy and pasted my article into his own blog, passing it off as his own. When I commented on the article exposing the fraud, he deleted my comment but put a link to the original at the very bottom, with no other comments.

Now, it’s happened again. I hesitate to give this guy more traffic, but here is the link. Which is a direct copy of my article Why Do I Bother? I’ve left him a comment but I doubt it will remain there for long.

I put a lot of time and effort into my blog, and it’s no sacrifice because I enjoy it a lot and it’s a great form of creative and emotional expression for me, and I get the chance to interact with other intelligent people. The height of intellectually laziness and personal dishonesty though is passing somebody else’s hard work off as your own.

Maybe this guy did credit me (I can’t find it though), but if you stole someone else’s work, wouldn’t you feel a twinge of guilt and conscience every time someone said “great post”, “great blog”, “great article, well said!” etc? And just look how many compliments this guy gets on “his” blog – does he correct anyone even once? Nope. He just lets it lie, hoping a lie of omission doesn’t count as a real lie.

That’s all I want to say because I’m fuming right now. I encourage my readers to drop by the article and tell this guy what a liar he is. I get the impression from other comments that he does this sort of thing a lot.

UPDATED:

The plagiarist has since replied on his Myspace blog, presumably in between sending chat-up messages to other teenage kiddies:

Funny because this isn’t the first time I have posted this. The first time I posted it was here, and I gave you credit at the top.

Somebody emailed me the other day asking why I bother with the debate on myspace, and I remembered the article. I linked them to it. Then I thought it deserved a repost, so I hit ctrl a, and ctrl c real quick, but it copied a bunch of crap with your article, and I erased everything with code it in before the article, including your link.

You really shouldn’t come in here attacking my character and leveling accusations at me for several reasons:

(1) I have never spoken to you before (not that I am aware of)

(2) Your accusation of dishonesty is unfounded, considering I gave NO indication that I wrote the article.

(3) I have written better articles than this.

(4) Your wordpress blog is HIDEOUS

To prove that I am being dishonest you would have to know my intentions, which you don’t. It seems you are more concerned that you get a little pat on your back for your article, than you are with the application of the article.

I do not seek credit for any of my work, and I do not seek popularity (as you can probably tell from how I am speaking to you). What I seek, is to have an effect. It is highly suspect that a person who says they are concerned about their fellow man, is offended that his article is spread around the internet without a fucking link to his shitty wordpress blog. You are almost as bad as an evangelical who asks for money.

To which I replied:

“Yeah I remember you posting it first time around, and I messaged you with a comment. You THEN put a link at the bottom of “your” article and deleted my comment.

As for your nonsense about the application of the article, something I also feel strongly about is honesty. If I was going to reproduce someone else’s work, I would damn well make sure I didn’t pretend it was mine. You are dishonest, because you posted the article originally without any credit (I would be saying all this whether it was mine or not), and then did it again. And each and every time someone new came along saying “good post”, “good blog” etc you sat there lapping it up and saying nothing - a lie of omission is still a lie.

Now, it is your dishonesty that I dislike, and I would be just as angry no matter whose work you appropriated. If this is a topic that you feel strongly about, why not write your own article? Or link to someone else’s?

So

1. your character speaks for itself

2. oh ok, so I can reproduce the lyrics and music for any song ever written and unless I explicitly state otherwise, people must ASSUME that I DIDN’T write it? Pathetic. Try that with any author or artist and write to me from a jail cell when you get sued.

3. really? Where are they? It seems you couldn’t write a better article than my “Why Do I bother?” though eh? Liar.

4. Sorry, if my wordpress blog looked like a toy advert and scene from Tiberium Wars, that would make it better yes? Sorry, some of us who take this subject seriously publish our articles on something a little more professional than a social-networking site.

If my work is so rubbish, don’t pretend to pass it off as your own. Your work is amateur.

If you don’t seek credit for your work, you should have disavowed the article….curious that you didn’t. I do seek credit for my work, unashamedly, because I’m proud of it. Your actions aren’t a slight against me, they’re a sign of bad authorship and dishonesty, the very things you claim to despise. At the very least, it’s a sign of awfully bad blogging etiquette, you should know better.”

Who Is John Galt?

I’ve just finished reading For The New Intellectual. The first half of this book is an essay and the remainder is quotes from Rand’s various works of fiction. The last section is the entire speech in full of John Galt, taken from Atlas Shrugged. If there is ever a more resounding, compelling, intellectually-triumphant, philosophically-adept piece of literature I am yet to read it.

I’ve often dismissed theists for such condescending remarks as “read the bible and Jesus will reveal himself to you”, as if reading a few chapters from an archaic work of fiction will change my life. But not one book of the bible or the entire hodgepodge of junk in it can compare to John Galt’s speech. Perhaps I spoke too soon though: one piece of literature can change your life, if it’s the right piece. Now, I haven’t read Atlas Shrugged all the way through, and John Galt’s speech hasn’t necessarily changed my life because I’m already familiar with the philosophy of Ayn Rand, but, if I’d just read it for the first time, I’d be a brave man to predict that it wouldn’t have changed my entire worldview – I mean that.

Incidentally, this is why the mystical fabrication of religion is so pathetic and vacuous; what “holy book” addresses the nature of existence, the law of identity, man as a rational being, the definition of morality?; what other work of fact or fiction so eloquently obliterates philosophical scepticism; identifies the virtuous corollaries of selfishness and the inescapable death of sacrifice; establishes the root cause of so much unhappiness, despair, misery, poverty, and failure in the world?; determines the correct and proper political setup; proclaims man’s happiness as the highest moral purpose of his life, and his mind as the only way to attain it?

Galt’s speech is quite a read! I read it for a few hours in work last week, (disclaimer in case my boss reads this: it was over the holiday period; whilst others were playing games and quizzes I was reading about capitalism in order to make my company more profitable!), and finished it off tonight in a few more hours! Time well spent.

There are many ways to get to grips with Objectivism, but if you’re an intelligent person, not emotionally committed to your prior beliefs, and with an honest desire to acquire a philosophy (epistemology, metaphysics, morality, politics, aesthetics) for a rational happy person, you should just read John Galt’s speech. It’s as simple as that.

My Top 10 TV Shows Of All Time

Breaking away from the serious discussions of late, I thought I’d write something more light-hearted. Here is my top ten television shows of all time, based on what I’ve enjoyed through my life. (In other words, there may be shows here I don’t watch anymore).

10 Family Guy

Bizarre and abstract at times, and with no regard for political-correctness, Family Guy is one of the few shows that can make me laugh out loud time and again, even on repeats. The way nothing is safe from being parodied is hilarious and very clever too.

9 FRIENDS

I’m not a fan of FRIENDS anymore, but I had to put this in as I was for many years, and in its first 4 seasons the show really was genuinely funny, moving, and original. In its later seasons, it tries to copy itself, and episodes and jokes become formulaic and, the worst sin of a sitcom, simply not funny. But FRIENDS’ early seasons, especially the humour of and between the three men, will always make me laugh.

8 Spaced

With only 14 episodes, I can’t put Spaced any higher, but surely one of the best sitcoms ever. Hilarious, in the really clever sense of the word, and included in that is watchability. Because the show is so rich in pop-culture references and side-jokes, there is always something that you missed the last time around. I can’t think of another show with so few episodes having so much “quotability” and laughing points. How they also manage to fit in great story with some touching moments is pure genius.

7 SCRUBS

This could be higher up, if only for the length and quality of the shows to come. Scrubs is the best sitcom of all time, at least it was in a first 4 seasons. Consistently funny, very clever, abstract and diverse at times, touching, moving; with pure quality writing and acting. Very few sitcoms get the balance right between humour and solemnity – Scrubs definitely does. Without ruining it for those who haven’t seen, the episode “My Screw Up” is Scrubs at its absolute best, and probably one of the best episodes of any TV show, ever. I mean that.

6 Babylon 5

Not your typical episodic “reset-button” sci-fi bilge; Babylon 5 is a show replete with flawed and unlikely heroes, and deep villains. Politics, religion, intrigue, drama, humour, ideology, evil, good, tough decisions etc are all themes, and most importantly, they are very real human themes. Set against a background of ancient aliens, dramatic space battles, and a very realistic future vision of earth, B5 made a lasting impression with hundreds of millions, including me.

5 Angel

I really like this show, but it’s simply not as addictive as three of the shows above which is why I can’t place it any higher. Typical Joss Whedon, and by that I mean every episode is fantastically written, rich in dialogue, never short of humour be it obvious or subtle, full of action, and intriguing with its mix of villains, demons, creatures, and overriding cataclysmic themes. It’s a shame it didn’t get a full 7 seasons like its predecessor as I think it could have got even stronger.

4 Prison Break

I didn’t like the “idea” of Prison Break before I watched it, even though I don’t really know what I was expecting. But if you want a show with constant drama, and an addictiveness rating to leave heroin in the shadows, you need look no further. Prison Break is probably the equal-top most addictive show I’ve ever watched. I simply cannot express how good this programme is. I remember the first time I watched the first season, smiling with delight at having “discovered” the show, (although my arm was twisted into watching it). It keeps you going, every minute of every episode, and just clambering for more.

3 24

This is a show that I have called “the best TV show ever!!”, and for many it is. There is no more addictive show in the world. Minute to minute, episode to episode, season to season, no time is wasted. 24 is a quality show in every aspect: acting, writing, score, drama, suspense, and realism. 24 doesn’t cut corners, it doesn’t patronise you, and it will hook you from the first episode. Has there been a single greater hero than Jack Bauer?? I can’t think of one! The best thing I can say about 24 is that it could be interchangeable with my remaining two as the best ever.

2. Star Trek

So many versions over such a long time, it would be unfair to break them into individual incarnations. Star Trek is a TV show that did, without any exaggeration, change the world. Many of the themes of television about different cultures coming together, drawing strength from their mutual differences and advantages, to meet friends and battles enemies, all started with Star Trek. In the 1960s, consider a black female officer on the bridge of a ship, a Russian, an Asian, even an American southerner; and the first interracial kiss on TV. The first NASA shuttle was named Enterprise after the Federation Starship. The Next Generation (TNG) had its moments, and it is a good show, but it is too sterile, too episodic, and the characters too flat to grab me. DS9 was a great improvement when it finally got going: darker, dirtier, more macabre; proper full-length space battles and a realistic enemy with depth, DS9 isn’t classic Star Trek, but it’s great fantasy and science-fiction. Voyager is the most like the original Trek: one ship with a determined flamboyant captain, encountering new races every week, proper banter between characters, great enemies, great fight scenes, without the same level of inane techno-bullshit that TNG regurgitated every week, and an overriding story arc makes it one of the best. The less said about “Enterprise” the better.

1. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer

I recently finished re-watching this show all the way through, and it confirmed its status for me as best TV show ever. Buffy is a show that grows up as its audience does. From 15-16 years old, the problems of the characters in Buffy mature as they do, from high school and real life issues of friendship, first crush/love, unrequited affection, social skills, unpopularity, to adult ones of death, responsibility, sex, betrayal, and sacrifice. Monsters and demons are metaphors for personal demons; we don’t have to fight literal demons like Buffy does, but we do have to fight every day at times against our own fears and the troubles that life throws at us. There are very few real-life concerns that Buffy doesn’t deal with, and for that, I think there is something in it for everyone.

Buffy has consistently brilliant writing and acting. Every episode is packed with content; no line gets wasted. And it could win awards for its humour alone! The idea of a female superhero who rescues the boy and saves the day seems acceptable now, but it was revolutionary when Buffy first came out. Tru Calling, Dark Angel, and all the others that feature a strong woman with powers, were all inspired by Buffy.

No character on Buffy just “fills in”; each has episodes of their own to shine, but the truth is that most of the characters could have entire shows to themselves, (which Angel did end up getting). Buffy has watchability, duration, addictiveness, and diversity; it can be silly, outrageous, solemn, haunting, scary, dramatic, and genuinely touching. The reason I give Buffy top spot is simply because it has all the great things that other TV shows have between them, except all in the one place and in such quantity! Quite simply, television at its best.

 

I might do a similar top 10 in a year’s time and see what it looks like then!

Objectivism and Me

For the past two months I’ve been reading a lot about Ayn Rand’s Objectivism. I’ve also had the pleasure of interacting with an Objectivist on his blog and over e-mail.

Immediately I was struck by how many viewpoints (political, philosophical, and ethical), resonated with me; I had held them explicitly or implicitly for a long time but was unable to articulate them or justify them properly. There were also many consequences of these viewpoints that disturbed me at first, especially political. However, as a free-thinker, consequences of truth do not bother me as much as truth itself.

I wanted to refrain from writing about Objectivism until I was knowledgeable enough to argue it properly; I have a responsibility to myself to make sure I know what I’m talking about. After being prompted by A Load of Bright though, I’ve decided to comment on it “as I go”, but I will avoid referring to myself as an Objectivist or debating the philosophy deeply for now. This is only fair to my readers and myself.

I have been very disappointed with how poor the quality of counter-arguments against Objectivism are. As well as reading about Ayn Rand, I have of course (to avoid confirmation bias) sought out opinions on Objectivism from non-Objectivists. Some of them were very balanced and generous. Some of them were blatantly hostile. But, for someone who has only been studying it for a month or two, I found I could already refute most of the nonsense they were saying. A common misrepresentation of Objectivism is: “every man for himself”, or “survival of the fittest”. This is false.

Objectivism is an entire philosophical system that accounts for knowledge, metaphysics, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. It is grounded on axioms of existence and sensory validity. Any attempts to deny these axioms involve their utilisation, which is self-refuting. From these, and the identity of man as a kind of being that acts volitionally, everything else follows.

The fundamental right, the only existing non-reducible right that exists, is man’s right over his own life. As a moral being, this is a necessary corollary of that status, otherwise it would be impossible for men to live together. Therefore, the politics of Objectivism are based on the realisation of the individual rights of men. The individual rights of men are non-negotiable, until and only if a man initiates the use of force against others; in doing so he has attempted to violate the rights of others and so forfeits his own.

I have come across people who reject the consequences of Objectivism; usually they appeal to an altruist or collectivist theory of ethics, or just emotion. In my limited experience talking about Objectivism, I’ve noticed these people find it hard (or impossible) to reject the premises of Objectivism, but will still disagree with the (usually) politic corollaries, not realising they’re blatantly contradicting themselves.

As I adopt more and more the philosophy of Objectivism, I am finding it harder and harder to identify myself as a Humanist. I disagree with the opinions of some humanists on a variety of issues (such as animals rights, environmentalism, and politics), and whilst Humanists do not necessarily have to agree on everything (it’s not a religion after all), it is some of the foundations of Humanism that I am at odds with, and I believe it is incomplete as a worldview. This will not stop me of course hosting the Humanist Symposium on 16^th December, which I volunteered for. But I thought I would talk about how my philosophy and politics are progressing, and the direction I am heading.

Finally, Objectivism is appealing to me for several reasons: it emphasises the necessity of rationality and logical thinking; it ennobles humans by forcing us to think for ourselves, and means that we must face the consequences of our actions; it treats men as adults that aren’t entitled to a free lunch or to parasitize off other people; it provides an epistemology and morality that are universal and objective; it dispenses with the nihilism of philosophical scepticism; and it respects individual rights to the core.

Was I Too Harsh?

Over at de-conversion.org, I received a message on my account there which read as follows:

“Dear One in Christ,

I am Mrs Cathrine NLEM ,from Cote D’ Ivoire .I am married to late Mr frank NLEM, who worked as a senior manager with the Ivory Coast refinary for Twenty-Six years before he died in the year 2005,after a brief illness that lasted for only five days.

We were married for Eighteen years with a son (mathew) who later died in a motor accident. Before the untimely death of my husband,we were both born again Christians. Since after his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of one Million,Eight hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$1.8m) in a General Trust Account with a prime bank in Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire. Presently,this money is still with the bank.

Recently,Following my ill health, my Doctor told me that I may not last for the next six months due to my cancer problem.The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness.Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a Christain organization or someone that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein,according to the desire of my late husband before his death.

I want this fund to be used in Christain Activities like,Orphanages, Christain schools, and Churches for propagating the word of God and to endeavor that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that “Blessed is the hand that giveth”. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don’t want my husband’s efforts to be used by unbelievers. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision.

I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that “the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace”. I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband’s relatives around me always.I don’t want them to know about this development.With God all things are possible.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the bank in Abidjan. I will also issue you the documents that will prove you the present beneficiary of this fund. I want you and the Church to always pray for me because the lord is my shephard. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that Wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and
Truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life.

Contact me on this e-mail address:
(k_nlem7@yahoo.ca) any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another person for this same purpose.

Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein. Hoping to receive your reply.
Remain blessed in the Lord.

Yours in Christ,

Mrs Cathrine NLEM”

My Reply:

“Hi Katy,

I’m going to have to pass on this opportunity. You see, I don’t think that good causes and charity should be limited to those people who believe in a superstitious myth about an invisible person in the sky based on a tribal Jewish war god.

If you were genuine in wanting to give money for a good cause, then just ask, leave out the emotional blackmail and the irrelevant quoting of scripture. If your faith is really that important, why don’t you just pray to get better? And is it god’s purpose to secure funds for Christian causes only by sending out unsolicited requests over private message?

All the best

evanescent”

I don’t think I was too harsh, assuming that the e-mail is genuine, but, call me a miserable old cynic, I don’t quite think that it is! The “if you don’t reply soon I’ll find another [total stranger] to offer this money to” is more reminiscent of a chain e-mail!

I wonder if she’ll reply… Probably not. Has anyone else seen this message?

The Evolution Meme Has Got Me!

Well, I’ve been tagged. And they say atheists never have any fun.

The evolution meme has got me, so the idea is I have to cite 5 posts of mine that demonstrate the evolution of my blog.

1.   My very first post: My Gloat. I originally started posting on MySpace and the blog was just going to consist of anything I felt like ranting about. It was intended to be mainly light-hearted. As you can see, it is purely about football (American readers, read: soccer. Don’t get me wrong America, I think you’ve got a great nation but your bastardisation of the English language is hideous. You’ve got as much respect for pronunciation as Scientology has got for a pauper .)

 

2.   My Job Offer to Creationists (I’m not counting that!) was a semi-humorous illustration of how absurd creationism is. I was still trying to keep a jocular nature to my blog but this was also something I felt strongly about and I felt I made my points very well without getting too serious. This trend of moving away from piss-taking and swearing, towards serious issues would continue: A post that I had intended to write for many years was my de-conversion story. I was invited to do so by Ebonmuse after I discovered his brilliant website soon after I de-converted. There are many sources I have to thank for my illumination and inspiration to write, Ebonmuse is one of them. This was an article that would have to be personal, intense, detailed, and ultimately incredibly optimistic, but also show the dark spell I went through where I was very much suicidal. This article was My Fall From Grace. It became easily my most-read article to date (it has since been overtaken by others.) This article was probably a turning point in my blog. My traffic boomed ever since and with so many regular readers I felt a responsibility to leave out the trivial and personal. What I mean is, talking about my day or personal hobbies was out of the question. If people were going to give serious time to read what I had to say, I knew I should provide good material and with an element of professionalism.

 

3.   My Evanescence was a lovely title for an article if I do so myself. For one, it continued the nomenclature I had adopted (from Scrubs) for starting nearly all my articles with the word “My”, and also tied in nicely with the title of my blog itself! Two, Evanescence is a beautiful poetic word and it described perfectly the idea I wanted to convey: the transient and ephemeral nature of human life. Rather than be a depressing thought, this can be powerfully incentivising. There is no time to waste! Our lives are so short, so fleeting, that no day should be wasted! Instead of just ranting or destroying religion, I know I needed to include more humanist themes in my blog, and this was a progression in that direction.

 

4.   Why Do I Bother? doesn’t start with “My”. This is a trend that continues; if it sounds right so be it, but I decided not to detract from an otherwise good title by forcing “My” for effect. This is a serious semi-angry diatribe about religion and the harm it causes. More importantly though, it’s directed to ignorant fence-sitters or the politically-correct who are afraid to put their money where their mouth is and speak up, or even worse those who think the topic is boring (prompted by a silly comment I received telling me to stop posting long boring articles about religion). It is impassioned and forceful, and something I couldn’t have written when I first started.

 

5.   Criticising religion and faith, and promoting critical thinking and rationalism will always be primary aims of my blog. But how to capture the other end of the scale, the joy of rational thinking; the liberation of atheism; the beauty of humanity? Inspired by the great man (who I’ve met) Richard Dawkins, I wanted to express mankind’s place in the scale and timeframe of the vast universe. I wanted to write something as fascinating and fun to read as some of Dawkins’ work, and doing the research for it myself was very enjoyable. I also wanted it to show a greater move towards humanism on my blog. It’s all well and good destroying faith and teaching people to think logically, but what about hope? What about meaning to life and purpose? Humanism does help here, and I hope For the One Life We Have illustrates how we should all see things; as they really are. But rather than be a cause for concern, we should be inspired to make the most of our lives, those of the people we love, and those of the human race itself.

The 5 posts I’ve listed hopefully show the evolution of my blog: from capricious irrelevant joking to semi-serious rants, to de-conversion stories and impassioned attacks on religion, to explaining what atheism and humanism really means, to the real meaning to life and hope we all have.

My blog is not monolithic and the topics will always vary, as will the tone. But I hope now my blog has evolved to a point where I can capture all the moods of what has gone before and where I’ve arrived at; something that comes with experience, well-received praise and criticism, and regular readers without whom of course, no blog would exist.

I tag:

Scientia Natura

Cogita Tute

A Veritable Plethora

Leitmotif

Pink Prozac

My Atheism

What does it mean?

It means I don’t believe in any divine beings. Everyone is born an atheist. There are degrees to atheism, such as whether one simply disbelieves in god(s), or whether one thinks god definitely doesn’t or cannot exist.

I wouldn’t say that a god cannot exist, but I am reasonably certain that one doesn’t exist, just as I’m reasonably certain there isn’t a teapot orbiting Neptune. I see absolutely no evidence that a god(s) exist, and no part of the universe necessitates postulating one for explanatory purposes. In short, I apply Occam’s razor.

Do I like it?

As far as simply believing or disbelieving goes, I neither like being an atheist nor dislike it. Atheism is a result of my rational and critical examination of the world. So, I didn’t choose to be an atheist.

Morality

I don’t like unnecessary harm. I can appreciate that other living beings also don’t like it either. Harming others makes me feel bad, and being nice to others makes me feel good. I also appreciate that (most) other living beings feel this way too. Therefore, treating people as you’d like to be treated is not only beneficial for the individual, but also for society.

I believe that “wrong” should be determined by whether unnecessary harm is caused; where there is a victim.

Because I am not bound by someone else’s morality, I can think for myself about right and wrong. I can assess the ethics of any issue without any superstitious cloud or hindering. I think “what is best for other people?” and “what will other humans think about this?”

Because of this, I respect the differences in others. I know that judging someone on their colour and sexuality is ignorant and primitive. I know that national boundaries are arbitrary lines on a map, and that we’re all one people. I can respect others’ rights to their opinions, even if I disagree with them. I have the right to criticise and question beliefs and also have mine criticised too.

Friendships

Humans are the only sapient species we know. To form close relationships with another thinking being is one of the joys of life. We are alone in our heads, with our thoughts. But relationships are a way to share our thoughts and experiences, and connect with another person. They are, in my opinion, the most important thing in life. We should treasure our friends and family because they will always be there, and they might be all we ever have. The fact that we will all lose each other one day makes relationships that much more precious.

The Environment

The universe eventually gave rise to humans. It sustains us, and all other life. I have a deep respect for the environment. I believe humans should interfere with nature as much as necessary to improve technology and quality of life, but not to the irreparable detriment of the planet.

Since there is no one to solve our problems for us; no almighty sky father to run to our rescue; no deific knight in shining armour to sweep us away, the onus is on humans to take care of the planet for ourselves and our descendants.

Beauty of life and science

I don’t need to pretend that a powerful being purposefully created everything in order to appreciate the beauty in nature.

Look at a sunrise, or a sunset. Look at sky on a clear light-free night. Look at the face of someone you love.

I feel awe when I see the size of the earth in comparison to the universe. I feel humbled when I learn about the evolution of life, and how the fragmentary portion of existence I’ve sustained thus far is beyond infinitesimal in the scale of the universe.

I am nothing. And yet, I have the ability to make my life the best it can be. I can be a positive influence on the world I live in. I can make other lives better and make them happy.

I know I am not a pawn in a cosmic battle between good and evil. I know there isn’t an evil being tricking me and tempting me every step of the way, and I know that my thoughts are my own. There is just me and other people. I am not constantly second guessing myself and berating myself for supposed imperfections. There is no one to keep apologising to, and nothing to keep apologising for. I respect myself for who I am, and respect other people for who they are.

Science is the way to understand the universe. I believe that if something is knowable, science will one day discover it. Science is the rational honest exploration of the universe, free from personal bias and belief. Science has taken us from burning and butchering others at the stake to understanding our planet and improving quality of life.

Because I have no bias apart from the facts, I am free to follow wherever science leads. Sure, science can be wrong, just like anything. But science is still our best way to truth.

The future

I’m going to die. Just like you. Just like everyone who’s ever lived, or ever will.

In the end, the only thing that matters is what we do with the life we have. You can either wallow in self-pity and mourn past mistakes, and wish for all the things that could be different in your life. You might think “well I’m going to die anyway so who cares?” Well, that’s the attitude of a loser.

On the other hand, you can get over your regrets. You can act. You can cherish other people. You can change the things you want to change. You can make yourself the best person you can be. You can enrich the lives of others and make the world a better place.

This is how I see life. It’s a gift. It shouldn’t be wasted. Becoming an atheist is the best thing that ever happened to me, because I see the world as it really is. What could be better?

My Random List of Annoying Things!

Here are some random things that bug me.

The phrase “An hour or two”

…or “a week or two”, or “10 minutes, maybe 20”. I hate it when people say this because what they’re really saying is “it’ll be about this long, or twice that!” What the fuck?! If I ask when the train comes and someone says “an hour, give or take 10 mins” I can live with that. But if they say “an hour or two” they’re really saying “60 minutes, or 120 minutes”. So which is it??

You see it on TV when the doctor says “he’s got a week left, maybe two.” Let me get this right: this guy is dying and he might hang on for 7 days…or maybe 14?! Way to narrow down the timeframe! Wankers.

“…as far as we know!”

Ah the favourite retort of the True Believer. You often hear people (especially theists) say this in answer to you saying something like “as far as we know life evolved”. And they’ll smile and very wittingly reply “ah, as far as we know!” Well, yes, what’s your point?? If you jump off a cliff you’ll fall, as far as we know! The earth goes around the sun, as far as we know. George Bush is human, as far as we know. (Ok bad example.)

It’s called “know” for a reason! Or do you have another word you’d like to use instead? (Perhaps believe?? It’s easy to get those two mixed up if you’re a Believer).

I think you should be allowed to punch anyone who says this, and when they say “that hurt” you should reply “as far as you know it does”.

Fahrenheit

I’m sorry what year do we live in? Does anyone seriously use Fahrenheit for anything anymore?? It pisses me off whenever a temperature is announced (like the Weather) and the presenter as an aside tells us what the equivalent is in degrees F. Why not give us it in Kelvin too whilst you’re at it, or say it in Welsh, just to fill the programme with as much useless information as possible?

It’s like when people say “oh it’s so hot out there, it’s over 100 degrees!” I just look at them with disgust and say “hmmm, shouldn’t we all be dead then??” After a few seconds of vacant retardation it’ll dawn on them what I mean and they’ll chuckle and say “ooh no ha, I meant Fahrenheit!” No shit Captain Caveman, why don’t you dance around a Totem pole to take the sun away then.

Ringtones and people who let them ring

Wow, you’ve got the James Bond theme song as your ring tone. Brilliant. I probably could have guessed that after the first 10 seconds you let it ring. The pseudo-rummaging around in your one-pocket jacket to find it was almost as embarrassing as the fact you think people really care!

I swear people really do this. They let the phone ring as long as absolutely possible so everyone can hear the tone, or hear that they’re so popular they’ve got different ringtones for different friends. I just think it’s embarrassing. (Not as embarrassing as that time I played hop-scotch with Heather Mills-McCartney though.)

People who show you pictures of their kids

I don’t have any kids (that I know of), so maybe I’m just missing something. But what is it with people who feel the need to show off their children in person or photographs to you?? I’m in the middle of eating or something, and all of a sudden this baby pic gets thrust in my face. ‘Thanks for ruining my lunch, let me put it down and pretend to say something complimentary.’

Fortunately, I’ve discovered a counter-measure: next time someone shows you a picture of their kids, just make a noise like “mmmm” and gently stroke the photograph. I promise you they’ll never do it again.

Hollywood

Overpaid parasites; overrated “actors”; shitty storylines; one tired lazy cliché after another; one plagiarised script or comic-book remake after another. It’s all crap. We should all stop going the cinema and buying DVDs until the Film Industry pulls it fat self-fellating finger out and makes something worth watching for a change.

Radio

Jingles; more commercials than actual music; the same songs repeated 6 times a day; the same songs played at the same time every day; every DJ trying to be “your pal on the airwaves” or the next Howard Stern. Take your pick!

When every song that’s only halfway through isn’t being interrupted or cut off, an advert is on; “Welcome to Advert FM! We’ll be right back with the commercials after the first minute of this U2 song!” Cutting off songs pisses me off almost as much as repeating them every hour: why pretend you’re there to play music at all?!

The only thing I’ve found more offensive than listening to radio is that time I had to write an essay on the Counts of Old France without using the letter “o”.

Americans who think America is a Christian nation

These people pride themselves on being patriotic to the core. So patriotic in fact, that they haven’t heard of a little thing called the Treaty of Tripoli:

“As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen…”

The United States was founded as a secular government. The founding fathers would probably cringe if they saw what Christian zealots had done and try to do to the liberal free-thinking republic that they founded.

“In god we trust” was added to American currency. Why didn’t the founding fathers think of this themselves?? Could it be because they saw properly that in a secular government the state is independent of a particular religion’s beliefs?? Why was “under god” added to the Pledge of Allegiance, effectively forcing Americans to pledge loyalty to a god they might not even believe in at the same time they were pledging allegiance to their country?? Why didn’t the Fathers come up with this originally themselves??

Could it be because Christian fundamentalists have corrupted what should be the greatest nation and government on earth? American Christians aren’t patriots. They’re fundamentalists. They don’t care what country they’re in, as long as they get their way. When the US added “In God we Trust” to their currency, they might as well have broken out the original manuscript of the Constitution and wiped their arses with it.

Calling America a ‘Christian nation’ is a cowardly perverse despicable lie.

My Eight Random Facts

Son of a bitch!

I’ve been tagged, apparently, or whatever you crazy kids are calling it these days.

Here are the rules:

* We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.

* Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

* People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

* At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

* Don’t forget to leave them each a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Fine! (Perhaps this will get rid of all the e-mails I get from nymphomaniac young ladies with a fetish for schoolgirl outfits, asking to know more about me); here are my 8 random facts:

1. I despise insects. If there was one compelling argument against the existence of god, it would be the existence of insects. I’d say all insects can take a run and jump, but that’s not much of a threat since most of the bastards can fly. I’d say all insects can buzz off, but it doesn’t sound so effective for nature’s miniature vibrators. The only insect I like is the hoverfly. The hoverfly doesn’t buzz, doesn’t come into your house, and is basically inoffensive and minds its own business. Compare the hoverfly to the twat of all insects: the wasp. If the Genesis account was truly accurate, Satan wouldn’t have chosen the form of a snake, he’d have chosen a wasp: ugly, poisonous, and scary.

 

Not harming anyone.

Twat.

2. I hate R&B and hip-hop music. It’s monotonous, boring, talentless drivel for people who can’t sing properly, write music, or play an instrument. It appeals to the pretentious “tough crowd”, gangster wannabes, or teenage kids who think it’s trendy and hip. Whenever I go to a club that plays this sort of garbage I just see lots of white kids wishing they were black and jerking their heads and hands around like a robot with attention-deficit disorder. I can’t imagine anyone enjoying constant two-tone repetition to the sound of what can only be described as a cross between a chicken being slowly gutted and a car alarm going off in the background. Get an electronic keyboard, press the Demo button and release that as a chart single; seriously, it actually sounds better! If I was given the choice between being forced to listen to “hip-hop/rap etc” or being hit by an articulated lorry on the motorway…

Plan A

Plan B

3. Despite being a fan of Liverpool FC, the very first football match I ever watched was actually Manchester United vs Crystal Palace in the 1990 FA Cup Final! Fortunately, no one will ever find out about this! The night Liverpool won the European Cup in May 2005 is arguable the single greatest night of my life: it was the perfect sporting final, and meant so much to Liverpool fans.

4. My favourite sitcoms of all time are SCRUBS, ‘Yes, Prime Minister’, FRIENDS, Spaced, and Family Guy. I’m a fan of some incarnations of Star Trek; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Angel; and Prison Break was fantastic. But in my opinion the best TV show of all time is 24.

5. Although I hated school and wouldn’t want to relive it, everything that has happened since, mostly for the better, all the positive experiences I’ve had; the amazing friends I’ve met; my de-conversion…can all be traced back to the pool table we had in our 6^th-form common room (seriously!), which quite literally changed my life! The realisation of how tiny events swing our future tangentially is very humbling.

6. My earliest memory is waking up in a cot in a hired cottage in the Lake District. My dad and older brother were either side of me. I remember waking up misty-eyed and looking forward through the house. I distinctly remember being self-aware for the first time!; I must have been 2 or 3 years old.

7. I own three computers! A gaming laptop, an iMac, and a Dell XPS desktop. I never planned to own 3 machines but it kinda worked out that way. Now I use the laptop for portability and travelling. I used the iMac exclusively for everything else until I realised I couldn’t play any games on it or run high-end software that isn’t Mac compatible. So now a corner of this room looks like a scene from Swordfish or 24! Certain people think this makes me geeky. Personally, I think it makes me look important!

8. My favourite band is U2; many of their songs are in my top 20 of all time (such as With or Without You, One, Angel of Harlem). Also in there would be Pink Floyd with Comfortably Numb; Joshua Radin with Winter; Oasis with Whatever, REM with Find the River, and Tsar with The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die. (Good luck finding that last song unless you buy the album, but if you do find it you won’t regret it.)

 

I tag:

Pink Prozac

A Veritable Plethora

Speaking Freely

Deep Thoughts – the atheist blogroll

Friendly Atheist

More Fire

Blue Linchpin

Daylight Atheism

My Fall from Grace

Something’s not right.

That was what I thought as I read about hypnosis on the Skeptic’s Dictionary (SD). Wasn’t hypnosis putting somebody under a spell, a trance? It might have appeared fun when I was quite young watching Paul McKenna, but since then it had been explained to me that hypnosis was wrong, an unholy use of power, and ultimately could open a window to demons.

But the SD explained what hypnosis was and what it wasn’t, and how it worked by purely natural explanations. It didn’t reference anything supernatural. It just explained in common sense terms what was going on. After reading a lot of convoluted far-fetched explanations of hypnosis and coming across offers of “Buy this book and you will be hypnotising someone to forget their own name in 5 minutes!”, this explanation was quite refreshing.

I was raised a Jehovah’s Witness (JW). The view of hypnosis as dangerous and wrong was just one of the things I was told. But, if the SD was correct, and it certainly presented a better explanation that literally putting someone into a trance, didn’t the organisation know this?! Couldn’t they have really done the research themselves?! Wasn’t it a bit close-minded to give their own explanation, when, surely they weren’t actually scientists themselves? It just smacked of propaganda to me.

But then, I was raised to see people outside the belief as wicked and destined for destruction. Having strong friends outside the group was actively discouraged. I couldn’t quite reconcile the 5 million Jehovah’s Witnesses (at the time, now over 6 million), with the 6 billion people on the planet. How on earth would everyone get the chance to be saved or not? The organisation had existed for over 100 years, and still less than 1/1000^th of the population was to be saved? That’s a lot of death if Armageddon comes tomorrow, I thought. It was a puzzle, but I had faith so I let this discomfort pass me by.