I just realized that I have now been atheist for about five years. I don't have an exact date, but I know it was some time after New Years on 2011 and before Lent.
And I can't honestly say that I've been atheist for five years, but rather, that was the time when I was finally able to let go of my religious beliefs without immense fear and/or guilt. I was finally ready to admit it to myself.
It's odd that in many ways, this feels like one of the most meaningful transformations in my entire life, and in some ways, it feels negligible. In a lot of ways, I am still pretty much exactly the same person I was before; I just justify my behavior and beliefs differently, now. I've become a lot more skeptical of a lot of things. I remember rethinking my stance on a lot of things six months after the fact, because I still found myself knee-jerking at things with a Christian mindset.
So, I feel both surprised that it's already been five years, and yet is also seems like it's been longer. In either case, my emotional health has been so much better since I let go, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
That is all.
And I can't honestly say that I've been atheist for five years, but rather, that was the time when I was finally able to let go of my religious beliefs without immense fear and/or guilt. I was finally ready to admit it to myself.
It's odd that in many ways, this feels like one of the most meaningful transformations in my entire life, and in some ways, it feels negligible. In a lot of ways, I am still pretty much exactly the same person I was before; I just justify my behavior and beliefs differently, now. I've become a lot more skeptical of a lot of things. I remember rethinking my stance on a lot of things six months after the fact, because I still found myself knee-jerking at things with a Christian mindset.
So, I feel both surprised that it's already been five years, and yet is also seems like it's been longer. In either case, my emotional health has been so much better since I let go, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
That is all.
