Oct 20 2009
Looking Farther (56) – Trick or Freak?
Imagine that you wake up floating in outer space — like the above NASA photo of an astronaut relatively distant from his home shuttle. Sure, initially you may consider it a treat. So beautiful. So awe-inspiringly grand.
But unlike the photo, in my hypothetical scenario you have no shuttle-based peers to collect you or a jet-pack to propel you toward. No, you are all alone. Sure, it is pretty cool out there. But how long will your oxygen last? Your water? Your cool?
When does awe turn to foreboding and then to fear?
Fortunately, you are now here on Earth. No such fate awaits you. At least not yet. On your deathbed you may have a different perspective.
Some believers assert that the existential condition of the atheist is that of a person floating in space — untethered to anything absolute. There may be some truth to that. But most atheists I know would prefer that condition to that of floating in space clutching a flimsy chain of Biblical-page paper rings floating lifelessly nowhere. Bothering to hold Linus’ blanket would make as much sense.
How do you perceive your own condition? Is it a treat to be a human being on planet Earth? A trick? A hair-raising experience (at least during those October-31st type moments when you really thing about it)?
For more words by untethered atheists, I recommend checking out Carnival of the Godless #128 – Not Quite Halloween Edition.
Don’t worry. The collection of writings is free of real razor blades. Though you might get a bit existentially nauseous if you read them all at once.
