It is my view that wisdom starts with accepting the cosmos as it is. I live very close to nature, fully aware of the intricate web of life of which human kind is a part. I am an atheist because there is no hint of a god, or other paranormal phenomena, involved with that web.
Though I think it best to accept the universe as it is, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t prefer something else. There is a lot of wisdom to be found in mythology as long as one doesn’t confuse mythology with reality. I think living in a universe where magic rules might be interesting, as would be living in one where there were the wise share knowledge with the trees and animals. What might be learned from a Dryad, pelican, or dolphin? (Actually, I suspect that dolphins and whales are as intelligent as humans. But their evolutionary history of living free in three dimensions, and not being tool makers, makes it impossible for us to communicate effectively with them.) It would be equally interesting to be a knowing part of a universal consciousness, a living bit in a living universe.
Claiming to live in any of those however, would be to live a life of illusion (at best) or delusion (at worst).
The one universe I would find disappointing is one created by an all knowing and (supposedly) compassionate god. Looking around at this world such a god would appear to be utterly incompetent or, more likely, more evil than compassionate. That is a cosmos I could do without.
Though I think it best to accept the universe as it is, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t prefer something else. There is a lot of wisdom to be found in mythology as long as one doesn’t confuse mythology with reality. I think living in a universe where magic rules might be interesting, as would be living in one where there were the wise share knowledge with the trees and animals. What might be learned from a Dryad, pelican, or dolphin? (Actually, I suspect that dolphins and whales are as intelligent as humans. But their evolutionary history of living free in three dimensions, and not being tool makers, makes it impossible for us to communicate effectively with them.) It would be equally interesting to be a knowing part of a universal consciousness, a living bit in a living universe.
Claiming to live in any of those however, would be to live a life of illusion (at best) or delusion (at worst).
The one universe I would find disappointing is one created by an all knowing and (supposedly) compassionate god. Looking around at this world such a god would appear to be utterly incompetent or, more likely, more evil than compassionate. That is a cosmos I could do without.
