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  They're defunct, outdated.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.