Fine, call me a nerd. I don't care. In any case, I've been thinking a lot about how most religion is complete bullshit and contradicts the human endeavor for truth that it supposedly embodies. Thus, I've typed up a rough draft of a brief summary of my beliefs and I'd like to hear your thoughts.
The Realist’s Manifesto
1. We know nothing.
We don’t know everything; in fact we know only the most infinitesimally small portion of what there is to know, and a smaller percentage of that actually has a point. We don’t know ourselves, and we don’t know where we came from. We don’t know where we’re going, and we don’t know why. We don’t know when or how. It will take millions of years and we will still know nothing, but we will know more. It is in the human spirit of exploration to find out everything there is to know, and we can use the bodies and the minds that were given to us by means that are unknown to attempt to reach our goal. It is probably futile, but we must try. In our old age, we must pass the knowledge on and through the inheritance of knowledge we can begin to accumulate what it really means to be human. Religion is ignorant because it is a tale that humans take for truth when it is just that, a tale. People must not settle for the fables of an ancient civilization as truth, we must find it ourselves. Those who tell us what to believe are no more intelligent than ourselves and have no right to tell us what to believe. We must create the truth out of the vast confusion that is our universe and pass it on to our children so that they might have a frail shred of knowledge about reality and the existence of the human race.
The children of our people, too, have a responsibility. They must be skeptics to any idea, because the world does not work in absolutes. No matter how compelling the evidence, there is still no certainties. At the same time, they must remain open-minded at all times and be willing to consider any idea, no matter how bizarre or foreign, because they know nothing. Just as we know nothing.
2. We are insignificant.
Anyone who ever has looked up at the night sky knows that we are not alone in the universe. The myriad galaxies, trillions of stars, and countless planets each offer a different truth, a different reality. All planets, however, do not have a conscious being that can comprehend that reality, so the truth is never seen. In the sheer infiniteness of our actuality, we must know that there are truths other than Earth out there and, if the universe is indeed infinite, we must realize that every conceivable notion is possible somewhere at some time. We are smaller than any metaphor can ever describe and we must realize it. This is a reaffirmation that we know nothing, because we consider ourselves so significant and important on our planet. You think Hitler was influential? Hitler wasn’t a black hole that trapped time, or a supernova that incinerated light years of space, or a nebula that gives birth to stars, planets, moons, beings, realities, and truths.
3. We start our exploration with ourselves.
We cannot even begin to understand without first learning who we are. Not you as in the jumble of nerves, tissues, blood, and bone, but you as in the product of the living body, the consciousness that supersedes, rules over, and is born from the body. By any means necessary, we must travel the routes of our brains and discover the dusty corners of our thoughts, from the most ancient to the most advanced. Those who decide there is nothing more to discover are ready to die. Whether it be by drugs, discussion, meditation, or just by living, breathing, and thinking, we must gather an intimate knowledge of what it is like to be alive. Once this mission has been completed, we can slowly expand to realities and truths beyond ourselves, to the great void of space to the submicroscopic unknown that we and everything are comprised of.
4. Death is the end of you.
Life is not a preparation for life after death. Death is the end of life, and the inevitable failure of our ultimate mission. Even when we reach as far out as we can, we will fall short by a trillion light years. But through the ages, we can inch further toward the truth. Thus, we cannot worry ourselves with petty things such as religion and money. It is better to live without distraction and to simply live, savoring and enjoying every minute of it. We can die with the ultimate satisfaction that our lives were all that they should be, but the feeling cannot be one that is falsified in your subconscious through success. Success is petty in the broader scope of your life and your enjoyment of it.
5. Be truthful to yourself.
As has been previously stated, there are infinite manifestations of truth to be had. No matter what your purpose in life, you must be honest to yourself and who you truly are. It is in human nature to do what is best for oneself, so you should do it. Of course, the human race is in a communal struggle to find truth, so you should benefit yourself without impeding others’ struggle. Doing so will only downplay your own purpose because others are an important tool in our mission. Through social interaction, friends, society, and networks of people, we all strive to discover the truth of the human race. The truth can be found within our thoughts. What you feel right now is truth, if you want it to be. You must create your own truth. Whatever truth you find, make sure that you really believe in it and make sure it never wavers. Tap into your thoughts and break out of your boundaries. Sprawl and discover. Think, explore, and know. Find truth.
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