If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything!

If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything!

This has always been one of my favourite ever sayings, along with 'Don't get bitter, get better!'; 'You know it really doesn't matter at all cause life's a gas'; and 'Justice is the new Religion'.

I always find it so funny where we find these favourite sayings too. The quote, and title, of this post came from a very dodgy movie called 'Sucker Punch' which apart from the great quote, the only other redeeming feature was that the main actresses were not wearing very much clothing (yes, i am a typical boy!!).

'Don't get bitter, get better' was from the hilarious 12th man series of comedy CD's, when Richie Benaud gets told to man up by a dead Kerry Packer.

The next quote above comes from an old T-Rex song called, not too surprisingly, 'Life's a gas'. Love your work Marc Bolan!!!

And the last quote was also from a song, but not by T-Rex, but by a band called Skid Row.

So why have i mentioned these quotes and what is this post going to be about anyway? Well basically it's being written for two reasons. 

The first is i am going to be doing some philosophical musings that i hope lends itself to plenty of discussion among us because this is going to be what i call a 'Loaded Topic', but more on that shortly. The other reason is because i don't know how to post a blog that has a PDF/Power Point attachment, and since my wife is away (and she knows how to do it) i can't post a TCM topic with slides.

So be on the look out for some TCM posts in the near future. I really want to get this blog going places. I want it big, bold, varied, and interesting, and most of all, something i actually engage with more than once every 6-9 months.

So, let's go back to the quote, and title, of this post. I feel it is a loaded topic because it instantly engages the reader. Immediately they either agree or disagree (or are on the fence), and then actually begin to process why they feel the way they do. I feel so strongly in the affirmative on this quote that i am using it (in part) as the title of my philosophical adventure novel (Title: 'Stand or Fall'), and will also be the first sentence in the book.

In order for the reader to understand why i agree with the statement requires some back-story. Like a lot of you i am sure, my life hasn't been easy. I was born into a family that was part Church of England and part Catholic faith. We didn't go to church though, and didn't practice any aspects of these faiths at home.

Mum and Dad separated when i was about 10, and my parents started to explore New Age and American Indian culture or Born Again Christian, perhaps as a means of grasping onto something.

Regardless, I became enchanted by the New Age and American Indian ideals, and was repelled by the Born Again Christian faith. This was primarily because I was given the choice with the New Age and American Indian ideals, but I had the Born Again Christian faith bashed into me. What i mean by bashed, is having to go to church on Sundays and then being sat down for hour upon hour while certain individuals filled my head full of this belief system, all the while telling me i was an evil little child that was going to hell because i had a rat's tail (type of haircut), because i masturbated, because i was gay (news to me seeing as i was completely heterosexual), and because certain important people in my life were Devil worshipers (which they were not). Now if these individuals were decent human beings that upheld a high moral stance then maybe i would have accepted the Born Again faith, but because they were terrible humans, i didn't attach myself to this faith, and never have. 

There is no doubt that life molds and shapes you into who you become and for a long time i figured that all Born Again Christians were evil human beings, but fortunately i have met a lot of decent Christians in the last few years and this has shown me that i was very wrong, and i am man enough to admit that to you all. Interestingly, for all of the other New Age ideals that i engaged more positively with over the years, i have found that most of them have moved more into the background of my life also.

I imagine that all the shitty things that have happened to me over the years have contributed to me exploring different faiths/religions/philosophies. I want to be able to hang my hat on something so that when the shit hits the fan i have a fall back that i can use in order to feel better about the situation, and about myself.

In the end i have accepted that i am a 'bits and pieces' kind of guy. What i mean here is that i like some aspects (but not all) of lots of different faiths/religions/philosophies. But what does that mean if we were to explore some of the different defining features of religions such as?

1) Heaven - i don't believe there is a Heaven. I don't have a replacement theory mind you.

2) Hell - obviously i don't believe in a Hell per say, but i do feel that at times life is hell.

3) Death is the end - i am unsure as to what i think here. Do we end up in a box (coffin) in the ground for the rest of eternity? I'm not sure. Does this bother me? Nope!

4) Reincarnation - similar to the previous point, i just don't really know. I find the idea fascinating but that doesn't mean i believe it.

5) God - i don't believe that something in the sky created the world in 7 days.

6) Jesus - yes i am comfortable that he did exist, but he was just a really amazing human being, like Gandhi was, and like Confucius was. I could clearly go on and on with examples of incredible humans but we should try and stay to task here.

7) Paradise and 72 virgins - give me a break! And for those that kill others believing this is where they are going when they go all 'suicide bomber', well that just sends my 'Justice Metre' through the roof (more on that later). If they don't go to paradise do they go to hell? No, because there is no hell.

8) Karma - just not sure about this one. What i do believe though is that you don't do something good solely for the sake of getting something good in return. If karma existed, then that attitude is not going to generate any extra karma for you in my view. I do good things for myself and for others because it feels good to do nice things. I don't expect anything in return except for the 'feel good' feeling i get.

So if we use the suicide bomber as another case in point; do i believe that he will get bad karma, if he somehow did a shit-ass job of killing himself and survives, but others still die? Well i am undecided on that too. Does he deserve to get punished for what he did? Probably! But i feel that attitude is flawed. For starters, that attitude is based on believing that people will do the wrong thing and should therefore be punished. And this is a very negative attitude to send out into Universal energy (see below). I much prefer to look at it from a different angle. As in, let's assume that people are inherently good at heart, and are in fact born good. Let's instead put that out into Universal energy thereby creating a positive energy, rather than a negative one. Like attracts like after all (Law of Attraction)!

9) Universal energy - i do believe that the Universe, and the souls in it, provide both positive and negatively charged energy that can aid, or hinder, all of us on a day to day basis. Do i believe this Universal energy is a form of Heaven? I'm undecided on this. But i do feel we should try and put more positive feelings out into the world for reasons already mentioned above.

10) Agnosticism - i have considered myself to be in this category for probably the past 20 years of my life until just recently. Now i am unsure about this too.

11) Atheism - this is more in line with where i am at in this present moment. The word came from an ancient Greek word 'Atheos' which essentially means 'without God(s)'. 

Anyway you get the idea!

But what does that mean for me? If i am an atheist then i can't stand for something that is religious and that has a deity associated with it. Or can i?

Two of my favourite atheist authors are Alain De Botton and Corey Taylor. If you know of these two guys then you will also know that i couldn't have chosen two authors any more different if i had tried. Alain De Botton lives in London and writes philosophy novels for a living. He uses philosophy and religion in all his books, and discusses topics that trouble us on a daily basis, such as love, anxiety, employment, etcetera. 

Corey Taylor, on the other hand, is the singer of the death metal bad 'Slipknot' (which i don't like) and the hard rock band 'Stone Sour' (which is one of my favourite bands of all-time). He also writes in his spare time, but unless you are someone that has strong intestinal fortitude, and can handle a minimum of one swear word every sentence, then perhaps give his novels a miss. Regardless, both Alain and Corey have been able to show that you can believe in something that is not God based. Meaning, you can be an atheist that has beliefs, thereby allowing you to stand for something.

For me, religions and philosophical beliefs are an opportunity to learn and grow as a human, and the more varied the better. One day i might be reading about Confucianism and the next day, Marxism. I'm sure most of you have heard the name Niccolo Machiavelli, or if not, perhaps the term Machiavellian? I have no issues that he had some very strong views that i certainly didn't agree with but i was still glad to have read about him and his works. Every book i read will be filtered through my 'Moral Fibre' and my 'Justice Metre' (discussed shortly) and i keep the bits i like and throw out the stuff i don't. I honestly believe this makes me a better person, even though on quite a few occasions i have been told that i worship the Devil. That would be a neat trick considering i don't believe there is an actual living and breathing Devil; having said that, i do believe there are humans that display devilish behaviour. I am simply a person that tries his best to be a good person and to be good to others and if that means i worship the Devil, then maybe the Devil isn't such a bad thing after all? In fact, let's take it a step further and be bold because we can: if that previous statement is true then the Devil is actually a deity (if either of these things actually existed of course). Process that hey? Haha!!

My 'Justice Metre' is something that has ebbs and flows attached to it. When good things happen in the world and this makes me feel good inside (for me and for the people that were positively affected) then the metre sits on a nice low reading. But when the world, and the people in it, are cruel and mean and heartless, my justice metre blows it's top, and so do i for a brief period. I do the typical thing - 'Why me?', 'Why them?', 'Why can’t the world be a better place?' etc. I consider this justice metre to be a good thing, even if i haven't thought so in the past. What it gives me is the desire (and sometimes the fortitude) to try and be a good person always, and to encourage others to do the same. I have this commitment to the belief that everyone should be able to get along, even if the getting along part means not always associating with certain people. If you want the best for yourself and for others then that's a great attitude to have in my view!

So, have i loaded the blog up enough for you all? Surely by now some of you are ready to reply, and that's the point of this blog today. Let's engage and discuss what everyone thinks. We are a community after all and this blog is an opportunity for us to get to know each other better, because a lot of my future posts won't give us that opportunity.

To close though, i would like to say the following:

1) If i was to be forced to provide a name for my beliefs then i wouldn't term it atheism, and instead would call it 'Justice'. I might try that on for size the next time i get a religious dude knocking on my front door trying to make 'disciples of men'. Saying i'm an atheist has always worked in the past. They can't leave quickly enough; not doing a very good job of making me a disciple then are they? You would think if i was an atheist they would try harder to convert me, rather than run away? 

2) I believe the world, and the people in it, can be saved. And i feel that one of the simplest ways to make a positive change is to be good and to do good, with others in mind and not always just yourselves.

3) The worst word in the English language is 'Competition'. That word produces a negative Universal energy rather than a positive one. If we try to adhere to the idea that 'there is enough for everyone' then this will shift the negative energy to a positive one.

Well if you made it this far then i am totally humbled. If you feel like commenting then please do so. Really I am just a guy trying to make sense of his life, and the world he lives in. I love myself and the people in the world and I believe in all of us. We are/can be good people that will help others purely because it helps the ‘greater good’; plus it feels good to be good!!

Most of all i wish all of you the best with Universal love and light guiding your way. Please also be on the look-out for some TCM flavoured posts in coming days/weeks

...And Justice for All

David Hartmann