(March 8, 2015 at 6:04 pm)Nope Wrote:I like that idea, and I'm sorry for your loss.(March 8, 2015 at 5:40 pm)Deidre32 Wrote: and she was a mentor and friend. just so much all in one person.
so, may I ask, how do you manage your emotions as an atheist, when it comes to something as traumatic as that?
It is hard. I wish that I had advice. When I first lost faith, I started lighting a candle for her. That sounds opposite of what an atheist would do but the ritual made me feel a connection to her memory and that made me feel a little better.
(March 8, 2015 at 6:05 pm)Cato Wrote:(March 8, 2015 at 5:40 pm)Deidre32 Wrote: so, may I ask, how do you manage your emotions as an atheist, when it comes to something as traumatic as that?
Same as every other human that's ever existed. Most of us rely on the empathy from someone that we're close to. It also depends on the emotion I'm dealing with. I've taken a shit load of money to a batting cage and swatted 90mph fastballs until I've ripped my calluses off. I can also parlay angst into a few hours of aggressive guitar playing that is more full contact sport than music. I can also shut myself away and have a good cry. I've also channeled my emotions into volunteering. A loss of a fond pet might find me spending a day at an animal shelter. A loss of an elderly relative might find me spending an afternoon at a retirement home. Works for me, may not work for others.
A batting cage. lol I could do that. It's funny you say all of this. Because last year, when I found out my grandmother was really sick, and the end was nearing, I started rethinking atheism, and my faith and all of it. And then I started dating all kinds of guys to distract me. At the end of it all, after she died a few months ago, I realized that only I can work through this grief process. I was tempted to go back to an Abrahamic faith, and it wasn't Christianity. Thank goodness I didn't, and it was then that I started to do the hard work myself. My grandmother, similar to Christianity, cushioned a lot of blows for me in my life. It is hard for me to deal with trauma, without some crutch helping me. I like your ideas, and it is helpful to see how someone who doesn't have any faith in a god, copes with tragedy in a way that brings him to a better place. Thank you.