The spirituality of atheism: The reason to search

Those of you that know me know that swing dancing is one of the activities that I pursue in my spare time.  I started dancing a while ago - longer than I sometimes like to admit.  I was hooked from my very first rock step.  Over time, I danced more, I took workshops, I watched other dancers and I took private lessons.  Not surprisingly, I got better.  Why had I bothered spending all this time and money just to learn how to dance?  I never meant to make it a profession.  I don't participate in competitions except as a personal challenge.  I occasionally teach, but not as a vocation.  So, if not for any of those reasons then why?  Well, I can think of a few:

• I wanted to be liked by the cool kids.
• I wanted to be noticed.  I wanted to be able to impress people.
• The better I got, the more fun I had.

Unfortunately, I think there's some truth in all of these.  However, I believe I am most compelled by the last reason.  Being a much better dancer now than I was at the start, I know that there are things that I can do on the dance floor now that I wasn't originally capable of.  I am better at communicating to my partner what I want to do and more receptive to my partners' subtle suggestions, I am better at listening and dancing to the music.  I'm sure the list goes on.  However, I think that we can summarize all of these by saying, "I am better at having fun."

This is really what we strive for in everything we do, isn't it?  You may object and say "I spend the majority of my life working, and I don't really enjoy work."  Yes, but why do you work?  You work so that you can enjoy the rest of your life.  You work so that you can travel, so that you can eat good food, so that you can take care of your family.  Also, don't you think you'd be happier if you did enjoy your work?

In any case, we naturally understand that there's a benefit in practicing the things we enjoy doing even though we may not intuit that the benefit is greater enjoyment.  Unfortunately, I don't think we understand that there is, for the same reason, similar benefits in practicing life itself.  The fact that that statement, "practicing life," sounds so funny probably lends credence to my argument.   What does it even mean?

Therein lies the important question.  When I want to practice swing dancing, I practice my swing out, I learn new moves, etc.  When I want to practice piano, I play scales and stage mock performances with the Jamie Aebersold trio.  When I want to practice life, I ...

Unfortunately I'm not prepared to answer this question just yet and I would argue that pursuit of this answer is, in fact, what we call spirituality.  That is, spiritual growth is the pursuit of a the perfect life - a life that is in each moment more enjoyable than it was in the previous.  What better reason to search?

The spirituality of atheism: The N Commandments

I recently read the book "The Compleat Gentleman" by Brad Miner.  In it, Miner traces the gentleman back to what he believes to be the early archetypes - the knight, the monk and the warrior.  While I did enjoy reading the book, I finished it thoroughly frustrated for two primary reasons.

• Reason 1: On many accounts, Mr. Miner admits that all characteristics of the gentleman can be mastered as well by a woman as they can by a man.  However, he asserts that being a gentleman is a man's game (and not just because the word contains the word "man").  I believe this to be an ignorant stance and I much prefer to establish a new concept and term to refer to a person that embodies the positive qualities that we might associate with a gentleman.  
• Reason 2: While Miner traces the history of the gentleman, he never once tackles the question of why, over time, the archetype "gentleperson" from other cultures and of generations past has so much in common with the "gentleperson" of today (though some research is required to show that this is indeed true).  That is, what is the root of these behaviors, why did we practice them to begin with and why would we adhere to them today?

I hope to tackle some of these questions in this and future posts.  First, however, we require a name for the type of person I'm referring to and, as I am not aware of a fitting name at this time, I will use "Compleat Cosmopolite".  This choice will become clearer in a bit.  Let's list some of the qualities that we might associate with this ideal  (Note: I expect to refer back to, amend and edit the list below as I continue this journey).  Below you will find some, what I consider to be, positive qualities that I have noted in friends and strangers.  They are all qualities that I aspire to have as my own.  I'm absolutely sure that I've forgotten some and that I've misrepresented some of those that I remembered.  However, I hope to lean on my friends and random passers by to help make this list accurate and comprehensive by sharing their own thoughts and comments.  In any case, here it is in its current form:

• The Complete Cosmopolite is gentle with others.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is willing to help others but will not do so at the expense of their own happiness and wellbeing.
• The Complete Cosmopolite understands how to communicate their ideas, and can and will fight for the things they believe in.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is open-minded and can admit when they're wrong and even revels in the discovery.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is creative - can create new ideas by synthesizing their own and taking input from others.
• The Complete Cosmopolite can deal with defeat.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is genuinely happy.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is physically fit. (Note that this doesn't mean the person has to be thin)
• The Complete Cosmopolite is active.
• The Complete Cosmopolite can and will stand up for themselves and others using whatever means necessary as the situation demands.  However, the Complete Cosmopolite will use violence only as a last resort.
• The Complete Cosmopolite does not gloat about their abilities but rather helps others rise to excellence.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is comfortable seeking assistance from others.
• The Complete Cosmopolite cares for their surroundings and the world they live in.
• The Complete Cosmopolite does not pursue happiness at the expense of others' happiness.
• The Complete Cosmopolite holds true to their promises.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is honest.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is comfortable in isolation but can enjoy the company of others.
• The Complete Cosmopolite is patient and entertains explanations for others' actions beyond the explanation that first comes to mind.

I'll refer to this list as the "N Commandments".  While I do hope we can all giggle at the name (life's too short to take ourselves too seriously) my intention is certainly not to make fun.  The wordplay is in admiration of the Ten Commandments - a helpful guide in righteousness.  However, I don't believe any set of "commandments" will be comprehensive, I don't consider the commandments above to be immutable and I don't consider my N Commandments to the same as everyone else's - though I suspect that our lists will have much in common.  So, the "N" in "N Commandments" is meant to imply - as it does in mathematics - that the content of the list will change over time and will differ from person to person.  At this point you're probably wondering "why bother creating a list if it's not universally applicable?"  Well, the answer to that is that I believe that all the characteristics above are natural outcomes of a single thing: believing oneself to be a citizen of the world.  By citizen of the world I mean a person that observes themselves simultaneously as an individual, as a composite (i.e., molecules glued together to form something much greater than the individual pieces), and as a part (i.e, as a molecule themselves in a much larger, much more complex, much more wondrous whole).  I'll call this state of being the "cosmopolite's perspective" and I considered what it might be like in The spirituality of atheism: "On Having No Head" revisited.

So, hopefully my choice of moniker for this type of person is now clear.  A cosmopolite is someone who is a citizen of the world.  By world, I mean all things that exist (let's avoid the subtleties of that word for now).  I chose to use "compleat" to suggest this new moniker is an evolved version of the moniker "The Compleat Gentleman" used by Henry Pecaham in 1622 as the title of his book.  "Compleat" (or complete) also is used to suggest an ideal, something unattainable but worth pursuing.

The interesting question at this point: is there really such a clear connection between the "N Commandments" and the cosmopolite's perspective?  Another interesting point is that the Compleat Cosmopolite's "god" is knowledge as he/she achieves spirituality from learning about the world around them.  We'll leave these for consideration in future posts and future discussions.  In the meantime, I would truly appreciate different perspectives on my thoughts here as it's all too easy to follow the path you're on when others are so well hidden.  Be well.

The spirituality of atheism: "On Having No Head" revisited

A short story inspired by "On Having No Head" by D.E. Harding though with a completely different take on the experience:

On my way to the subway yesterday I came across an old man and his cart.  His cart was filled with various trinkets, the kinds of things that people accumulate during their lifetimes and then throw away only to be replaced by the newest state-of-the-art trinkets.  But the trinkets collected by this man were far from new.  These were the trinkets of days past - a typewriter, a tape deck, a myriad contraptions of various shapes and sizes - each one meticulously maintained and noticeably loved.  How could anyone love these things?  They're defunct, outdated.  The iPhone - now that's a thing that someone could love - certainly not an old typewriter.  But it was clear they were loved.  Each one gleamed under the sun's rays and it seemed almost as if they were...smiling.  I wanted to look up at the man and ask him about his possessions, but I didn't know what to ask.  These things were both unremarkable and brilliant at the same time and my mind was trapped in the spectacle.   I was a stone and only after I heard his voice did I return to flesh.  When he spoke it seemed as though the space around him expanded and contracted with his words.  He said, "they're beautiful, aren't they?"  I was still dazed, unable to respond.  Finally, I recovered from my stupor.  "Why...yes...I guess.  But surely you could have found something a bit less old, no?"   The space expanded, "Time has no bearing on beauty."  Finally, I broke my stare and repositioned my gaze to meet his.  But, to my surprise, his head was missing.  I don't mean that he had gone crazy or had fallen dumb.  I mean what I say quite literally.  He had no head.  I quickly looked down as though his lack of head was an embarrassing facial defect.  Then, summing up all remaining courage, I slowly began to take stock of his body.  Feet, check.  Legs, check.  Torso, check.  Arms, check.  He had no head!  At this point, most people would have removed themselves from the situation as quickly as possible.  However, irrespective of the lacking appendage, he seemed somehow...complete.  I moved in closer.  Upon his shoulders I saw a black metal fence circumscribing a children's playground.  The children laughed and played as parents watched on.  Beyond the black peaks that capped the fence, I found trees and street signs, people and cars rushing by intent on covering the distance separating them from their intended destination as quickly as possible.  "Beautiful, aren't they?", he inquired.  I paused to consider what it is that the man could possibly be referring to.  I rotated my head, stopping to gaze at the bodega across the street.  Outside, the colors of the rainbow were represented in the form of various fruits and vegetables.  A battered green canopy protected the wares from the elements and extended the facade of the market ever so slightly.  A young couple stood outside arguing with each other.  Again, I shifted my gaze to look at the headless man but, this time, saw another beside him looking oddly familiar.  That jacket, those jeans...those are my clothes.  That's my body.  But my head had gone missing.  In its place I saw the sky, the sun, the winter.  Beyond them I saw sadness, laughter, happiness, things that had no name.  I looked closer.  I saw atoms floating through empty space, electrons jumping randomly from one place to another like overactive pets leashed to their owner.  "Beautiful, aren't they?, he inquired.  I stared out from space, from nothingness, from nowhere and everywhere at once.  "Yes, they are", I said.

The spirituality of atheism: Introduction

This post is the first step in what I suspect will be a long and enlightening journey in search of spirit.  While I've approached the idea of spirituality before in my life, I have never done so with the rigor and intensity that I intend to apply to this investigation.  I have certainly never sat down with modern pen and paper in pursuit of an answer.  The answer to what, you ask?  Glad you asked, let's begin with these questions:

• Why bother searching?
• Can an atheist be spiritual?  Does he/she have a spirit?
• What is spirituality for an atheist?
• What are the implications of atheistic spirituality and how do these compare to theistic spirituality?

And before I set out on this journey, let me make one important promise so as to bind myself to it in later posts.  It seems that much of the writing I read about atheism is unnecessarily harsh in their discussions of theism and religion.  This will not be an attack of theists as so many atheistic ponderings tend to be.  I have chosen my path and others may freely choose theirs.  That said, I believe I am ready to begin.  Until next time.

Tea Leaves

I don't know who the first was to package tea leaves in disposable bags but I wish I could go back in time and strangle them.  It seems humans have some inherent desire to to create order.  The irony is that much of what we do to create order - package things, shrink wrap things, put things in cardboard containers, etc. - only proves to aggrandize the disorder at some later stage.  I'm thinking here of garbage cans, landfills and garages filled with cardboard boxes that lay in waiting for the day they will once again get to hold things - a day that almost certainly will not come.

Anyways, tea leaves...  The experience of sipping tea infused by a bag of chopped up death (okay, I might be exaggerating here) is markedly different from sipping tea infused by leaves that are allowed to float freely in the water.  Sure, the latter requires a little bit of oral dexterity, but it is worth the sight of leaves swimming through the water as if they're living their second lives as aquatic beasts.  I know this has an elitist tone to it, but I want to be clear here that I'm not saying (in a snooty English accent) "oh, tea is so much better when delicately sipped from water steeped with the essence of floating leaves."  No, I'm suggesting a visual experience that meliorates the overall experience.  So, please give this a try.  You will most certainly thank me.

By the way, I don't claim this idea as my own.  Many cultures drink their tea this way.  I am just an admiring follower of a different way.

Forever Polishing - A lesson learned from martial arts

I'm not entirely sure of the context, but I know the phrase "forever polishing" was one that was often spoken in my Isshin Ryu dogo.  The statement resonated with me back then and it still does today.  I'm sure it's clear what it means in the context of karate.  The point is that you're always a student - that even a master has much to learn.  Well, as you might've guessed, this is as true for karate as it is in any activity one pursues (I feel like I need to add the obligatory "grasshopper" here).  And while I feel fairly confident that I can say that I live my life by those words, I'm not certain why I feel so strongly that this path is the right path.  In any case, this blog is dedicated to answering that question and many others and I look forward to input from friends in strangers as I navigate this terrain.