Friday 22 April 2016

[Untitled Poem #3]

If I tell you what I dream of
Will you still comfort me?
Will you still find the way 
To see through my neuroses?

I'm searching for something deeper
And I know it's dependent on me
How much I'm willing to share
How much insight I lay at my feet

Will you tend to my wounds,
As we heal together?
Who can resist
Such a fruitful endeavour?

Yet I persist in hiding
Seeking lower-lying fruit
All this could change
Next time I'm with you

[Untitled Poem #2]

Pursuing the chaser
Bottling it up
Willing to struggle through
It's never enough

Don't want to study resignation
But the patriarchy has surrounded me
There's only so much room to move
Or at least that's how it feels






Thursday 21 April 2016

[Untitled Poem]

The goalposts ever-shifting
I'm searching for the right to soar
Wandering away and back into
Brilliance eluding me before

Withering away, my right to know
I'm building up the right to care
Wondering if it's okay to love you
In those ways I've rarely dared

Saturday 16 April 2016

How to promote atheism?

I recently watched a documentary called 'The Unbelievers' by Gus Holwerda, which got me thinking about the techniques his subjects, Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss, use in promoting atheism. Krauss argues that Dawkins' contempt and ridicule for religious beliefs are less likely to persuade people than his own softer approach, which involves 'meeting people where they are'.
Dawkins argues that he himself doesn't mind it when people point out the error of his ways, so he feels comfortable dishing it out. But I think most people would do anything to avoid feeling that they are in the wrong. Most of us wish to cultivate pleasant emotions within ourselves, and light up when we associate ourselves with positive things. I know that there are so many things that feel disturbing to me in everyday life, that it's comforting to connect with texts that rub me the right way.
Which gets to the crux of the issue: Religions are comforting. If we're seeking to replace one set of spiritual beliefs with another, the comforts of atheism need to outweigh those of the religion. Whether it's the comfort of not having a homophobic god, or simply not having to think of god as male, it's going to be the positivity atheism brings that will ultimately be the catalyst for change.
Atheists would benefit from recognising the potential of religious followers and honouring their unique gifts, quirks and sensitivities. "Celebrating Logic and Reason" shouldn't come at the expense of respecting our fellow human beings. I know that I have many things to learn from believers in my life, and they would be more likely to learn from me if I am demonstrative of that knowledge. Let's all meet each other half-way and communicate in the spirit of love and peace.