Well, could it be a thing? 

I always had a great fondness for the concept of monasticism and I enjoy being alone due to my high anxiety and abrupt introversion which annoys people to no end. The thought of hiding yourself away from the world only to develop yourself and perfect your own wisdom in literature and spirit is something that has always appealed to me. I like to read books and be left alone from the world mostly because it causes me mild depression and ruins my empathy. As I have gotten older and become more apathetic towards people the concept of monasticism seems very interesting even for a grimy dude like myself.

Has anyone else thought about monasticism for atheists? 

If so, why do you think it would benefit us nonreligious and how could it benefit others if possible?

Fine. Now go and live on the side of a mountain in Tibet. Keep us informed.

(August 4, 2017 at 10:05 pm)Succubus Wrote: Fine. Now go and live on the side of a mountain in Tibet. Keep us informed.

So it's not just me? You guys smell something off, too?

(August 4, 2017 at 10:50 pm)Astonished Wrote:

(August 4, 2017 at 10:05 pm)Succubus Wrote: Fine. Now go and live on the side of a mountain in Tibet. Keep us informed.

So it's not just me? You guys smell something off, too?

What in the hell are you insinuating? This is ridiculous now. You aren't even being sarcastic and keep alluding to something on all of my posts.

(August 4, 2017 at 10:56 pm)ComradeMeow Wrote:

(August 4, 2017 at 10:50 pm)Astonished Wrote: So it's not just me? You guys smell something off, too?

What in the hell are you insinuating? This is ridiculous now. You aren't even being sarcastic and keep alluding to something on all of my posts.

I'm going to have to wait til Succubus either confirms or denies what I am hypothesizing.

It's an interesting idea, admittedly, this is coming from a man who, when he learned about how J.D. Salinger lived alone on a mountain somewhere near in New Hampshire, considered it something to aspire to. Then again, I don't see a point in connecting such a goal with atheism. I think the most obvious ways to sell such a lifestyle is becoming a famous author or a mountain man like in Jeremiah Johnson. But, then again, the mountain man lifestyle seems to have largely been replaced by the survivalists who justify their lifestyle with extreme paranoia and remarkably little love for the land they live off of.

(August 5, 2017 at 12:26 am)Rev. Rye Wrote: It's an interesting idea, admittedly, this is coming from a man who, when he learned about how J.D. Salinger lived alone on a mountain somewhere near in New Hampshire, considered it something to aspire to. Then again, I don't see a point in connecting such a goal with atheism. I think the most obvious ways to sell such a lifestyle is becoming a famous author or a mountain man like in Jeremiah Johnson. But, then again, the mountain man lifestyle seems to have largely been replaced by the survivalists who justify their lifestyle with extreme paranoia and remarkably little love for the land they live off of.

I have personally always viewed monasticism an extension of the academic life. More of a moment to internalize something so you can strengthen a desirable quality about your nature. I also want to confess I grew up watching a lot of wu xia films so Chinese cinema and its portrayal of Buddhist monasticism heavily skewed my opinions as well. 

I should also clarify that I do not wish to connect it to atheism I merely wish to address if it is beneficial to atheists. All known monasticism has religious context and I am curious if it could benefit the secular somehow and also society. Would man become wiser through internalizing himself and perhaps strengthen his character?

I always viewed it as a life where I could open hundreds of books and study the great works of Plato and one day write my own collection of philosophical literature that could progress society into something more spiritually advanced. In particular is that I want man to let go of gods and develop into a rational creature that can appreciate the world without supernal meaning. To worship nature instead of petty sky daddies and hold a love of the world instead of a hatred toward infidels.

(August 5, 2017 at 12:37 am)ComradeMeow Wrote:

(August 5, 2017 at 12:26 am)Rev. Rye Wrote: It's an interesting idea, admittedly, this is coming from a man who, when he learned about how J.D. Salinger lived alone on a mountain somewhere near in New Hampshire, considered it something to aspire to. Then again, I don't see a point in connecting such a goal with atheism. I think the most obvious ways to sell such a lifestyle is becoming a famous author or a mountain man like in Jeremiah Johnson. But, then again, the mountain man lifestyle seems to have largely been replaced by the survivalists who justify their lifestyle with extreme paranoia and remarkably little love for the land they live off of.

I have personally always viewed monasticism an extension of the academic life. More of a moment to internalize something so you can strengthen a desirable quality about your nature. I also want to confess I grew up watching a lot of wu xia films so Chinese cinema and its portrayal of Buddhist monasticism heavily skewed my opinions as well. 

I should also clarify that I do not wish to connect it to atheism I merely wish to address if it is beneficial to atheists. All known monasticism has religious context and I am curious if it could benefit the secular somehow and also society. Would man become wiser through internalizing himself and perhaps strengthen his character?

I always viewed it as a life where I could open hundreds of books and study the great works of Plato and one day write my own collection of philosophical literature that could progress society into something more spiritually advanced. In particular is that I want man to let go of gods and develop into a rational creature that can appreciate the world without supernal meaning. To worship nature instead of petty sky daddies and hold a love of the world instead of a hatred toward infidels.

Actually that does help. Here I was thinking you were a total troll making a completely backward insinuation about atheists in some very obtuse way. I think Succubus might have come to a similar conclusion.

I don't think that kind of isolation really works in a modern, practical sense. Being a social species it just seems counter-intuitive on its face, but one would really have to wonder what specific objective they'd be attempting to achieve via this mechanism. Still having to go about one's routine, cooking, cleaning and all, with no help (although you could probably let your hygiene go a bit with no company to complain about the smell) would probably be distracting if you were really intent to focus on whatever it is you're all alone for (not really sold on meditation) but if all you're wanting to do is catch up on some reading or write something with no distractions by searching within, I can see why it might be a better environment on a short-term basis. I just dislike calling it 'monastic', that seems like a loaded term.

I don't see why one couldn't just unplug their phone and pretend they're not home to do this so no one distracts them. Or is having to go somewhere else away from home, or to a specific type of place part of what makes this process viable?

(August 5, 2017 at 1:00 am)Astonished Wrote:

(August 5, 2017 at 12:37 am)ComradeMeow Wrote: I have personally always viewed monasticism an extension of the academic life. More of a moment to internalize something so you can strengthen a desirable quality about your nature. I also want to confess I grew up watching a lot of wu xia films so Chinese cinema and its portrayal of Buddhist monasticism heavily skewed my opinions as well. 

I should also clarify that I do not wish to connect it to atheism I merely wish to address if it is beneficial to atheists. All known monasticism has religious context and I am curious if it could benefit the secular somehow and also society. Would man become wiser through internalizing himself and perhaps strengthen his character?

I always viewed it as a life where I could open hundreds of books and study the great works of Plato and one day write my own collection of philosophical literature that could progress society into something more spiritually advanced. In particular is that I want man to let go of gods and develop into a rational creature that can appreciate the world without supernal meaning. To worship nature instead of petty sky daddies and hold a love of the world instead of a hatred toward infidels.

Actually that does help. Here I was thinking you were a total troll making a completely backward insinuation about atheists in some very obtuse way. I think Succubus might have come to a similar conclusion.

I don't think that kind of isolation really works in a modern, practical sense. Being a social species it just seems counter-intuitive on its face, but one would really have to wonder what specific objective they'd be attempting to achieve via this mechanism. Still having to go about one's routine, cooking, cleaning and all, with no help (although you could probably let your hygiene go a bit with no company to complain about the smell) would probably be distracting if you were really intent to focus on whatever it is you're all alone for (not really sold on meditation) but if all you're wanting to do is catch up on some reading or write something with no distractions by searching within, I can see why it might be a better environment on a short-term basis. I just dislike calling it 'monastic', that seems like a loaded term.

I don't see why one couldn't just unplug their phone and pretend they're not home to do this so no one distracts them. Or is having to go somewhere else away from home, or to a specific type of place part of what makes this process viable?

Given that I have been here for years I don't see how I would be permitted to stay here as a troll annoying my own kind. I do not even see what triggered that assumption still, you make it seem as if atheists are a unified group of people. I am an outcast amongst even anti-theists. I am even despised by my fellow vegans for being strongly anti PETA and making my girlfriend eat all her chicken off her plate (she is very thin). I can rant for 2 whole hours about social, political or philosophical groups I am apart of. I hold everything to scrutiny including atheism despite me being an atheist.


Now about monasticism, I admit to holding a very strong emotional bias to it so I am not exactly being the most sanest of people when I claim monasticism is the future. In all honesty I can imagine it being a failure in the most likeliest outcomes when it applies to the nonreligious. I am referring to classical monasticism though involving a group of people who formulate usually through religious means, a way of life dedicated to a god or religious principles. 

I would obviously wish to remove that theistic principles and merely focus on the acquisition of knowledge and wisdom for its own sake. I am also not claiming that it would be good to shelter oneself into a temple for their entire life, obviously I think they would leave after a decade or so. I think this would be more educational than college itself to some degree int hat it permits complete absorption into oneself and their principles or how they formulate them. 

I for example am obsessed with philosophy and in particular Islamic philosophy and its potential. I just think it is heavily bogged down by religion and nonsensical woo and I wish to finish learning Arabic as well while understanding the entirety of philosophy and in particular mathematics. I view my own personal life as a hindrance to this since I literally cannot learn anything in a classroom and must wait to go home to understand any portion of it.

You and Ted Kazinsky would be great friends.

Perhaps making atheist monasteries, were people like you had a library and a "cell" to read books. The best way to absorb knowlege is to copy heh?