some things i've learned from af.org

[jackman]

too much misery on here lately! i want to start a thread where people can share positive experiences or things they learned thru this forum. i guess it can be any forum, but for me, af.org is the first and only atheist forum i've joined (and likely the last).

1. before coming here i never believed in god, however i never equated god to ghosts thru the supernatural. i honestly never thought of them as equal and likely because i've never seen nor met anyone who'd seen god. on the other side of the coin, i've seen (i know, i know ...) ghosts exactly 3 times in my life. i said that here and everyone kindly let me know i had a brain fart or a mild hallucination. lol. ok, i listened and read up on it and realized/learned that maybe i did just have a few episodes of brain shorting out. i consider that something i learned.

2. continuing on that, since there are no such things as ghosts, i've realized i'm no longer uneasy working in basements of homes with no electric in damn near pitch black (besides my headlamp). lol. laugh if you want, but black folk are inherently scared of the dark and i was no exception. thinking that everytime i get too focused on wiring a panel box, some thing would come up behind me and scare a turd outta me - that was real to me. (fuck you for laughing at me, i'm being honest - lol)

3. since joining, i've lost an uncle and just 2 days ago, i chose to put my 17yo cat down (i'm not looking for sympathy, i'm over it) . from this, i've learned that sadness is ok, tears are ok but there's no reason to wonder what happens after that, it's just over. that's very pragmatic and i love that. i'd already thot that in theory but when it happened, i still kind of thought the soul lived on - but had no viable reason to think that. i've actually watched my grandmother pass and her vitals skyrocketed back up to normal 2hrs before her heart stopped - so that's probably why i thot her soul left and took all the pain with it and just left her shell there to pass on. i realize the error in that now.

there's probably more, but i'm interested in hearing others' realizations, understanding that many of you are members of quite a few other sites and are past where i am in your experiences.

btw, sorry for the lengthy text.

[Minimalist]

I've learned that many young people are far more in tune with reality and are willing to throw off the yoke of religion.

As an old fart ( 62 ) this gives me a glimmer of hope for the future.


I've also learned that Europeans are a lot less fucked up by god than Americans which gives us something to strive for.

[downbeatplumb]

I've learned how stupid people can get.

How blinkered they can be.

How obstinate they can be.

And some interesting historical facts courtesy of Min.

[Skepsis]

Don't fuck with Minimalist.
You face a dire hell of sardonic, sarcastic, and scornful remarks.
Alliteration.

[Minimalist]