Crossposted from https://lemmy.world/post/51921184
this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2026
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Mental Health
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I feel like it sort of matches some general feelings I have on the matter.
As a strong atheist, I firmly believe this life is all we get. So what do we do with this life? Hopefully a balance of enjoying life and making others' lives better.
Things are pretty shit for me in some ways - seven heart attacks, kidney failure so I'm on dialysis, below-knee amputation, I'm now a wheelchair user. Can't do a lot of things I used to. But it doesn't mean I can't make the best of it. I've learned more simple pleasures in life: Making someone laugh and brightening their day just a little. That's valuable and makes life worth living.
I still have so far to go to get where I want to be. For example, I'm still incredibly susceptible to "Someone on the internet is WRONG!" lol. That's a hard one to overcome.
But I think there are some great little principles to live by: Try not to harm others (or yourself); try to make the world a better place to the extent that you can; but also, relax, enjoy life as best as you can. Find joy in simple pleasures.
After growing up a fundie Southern Baptist and recovering… I've less patience for fundies than many others. heh. My attitute toward the Christian God these days is basically: If, after I die, turns out that's the god that exists, and I have to face him and explain why I didn't worship him....... I'll be terrified,of course, but do my best to say: You weren't around. You allowed children to die painful deaths. You created evil. Fuck you. If that's the god in control, fuck that god. heh
Which is not to say I can't get along with Christians. My dad - a pastor's son at that - is very very very laid back and accepting. If I grew up with his brand of Christianity, I could live with that. heh
Hell yeah. Sounds like you have a great attitude, but I'm sorry you've gone through all that. I also have very little patience for people who preach hatred and cause harm to others - but I'm working on it insofar as it's constructive to do so.
There's a very fine line to walk, I think, between peacefulness while not being passive and assertiveness while not doing harm. I think there is some real truth to killing them with kindness.
I have some fundamental metaphysical disagreements about the nature of reality with religious folks of all stripes, but at the end of the day - while that does concern me - as long as they're good to others, I have grown out of being too upset about it. I made a fool of myself when I was younger trying to prove people wrong for the sake of it, but I'm ashamed of that now.
Well, there is also the principle of the intolerance of intolerance. I can respect your beliefs... until you try and dictate my beliefs or actions based on them. heh. But more importantly, I tolerate most people, but I cannot abide bigotry. "Very little patience" indeed. :)
I waffle on trying to convince others. Obviously not in supernatural debates much anymore, but certainly in politics and matters of acceptance and tolerance, where it might make a difference.
But to sloppily pick and choose where I draw from your reply - there is truly a fine line on being useful and helpful and just masturbating hatred into the text box and telling them what I REALLY think of them. lol.
I try to err on the side of what they say about Keanu Reeves who supposedly embodies the spirit of Laid Backness - if he disagrees with someone, he won't argue, just say, "You're right" and move on. lol. That is a level of zen to which I aspire. :)
Good luck with those challenges
Thanks <3 One day at a time, just like you, like everyone else, my friend <3