Dropsafe

by Alec Muffett

My Own Personal Alpha Course

Each occasion I go to the pub, I walk back past the “ugly brick church from the 1870s, of no import” (cite: old Hampshire guidebook) and – as most summers – there’s a banner outside tonight proclaiming the “Alpha Course” – an opportunity to “explore the meaning of life”, in this case from a Christian perspective.

I have no truck with this recruitment exercise – not least because the coursework talks about singular rather than plural “meanings of life”, stacking the deck towards a one-shot-definite-baptise endgame.

However it did inspire me to wonder what my own Alpha Course would look like; I suspect it would go something like this:

You should know:

  • some day, you will die
  • some day, everyone you know and love will also die
  • some day, the sun will burn the earth and render it into cinders so that no life will exist on it at all
  • there are probably no god/gods
  • and so everyone you know and love (or hate) who professes religious belief of any kind, is probably deluding themselves
  • you probably have no immortal soul
  • and so there is probably no slot for you in any god’s “greater plan’ – because (to repeat) there are probably no gods
  • and your life is probably without a meaning above and beyond what you define it to have
  • and your life is probably without a purpose above and beyond what you define it to have
  • there is probably no heaven
  • and the righteous and the good probably receive no reward after death
  • and there is probably no hell
  • and the unrighteous, the bad, and the evil probably receive no punishment after death
  • and – however regrettable it might seem – there is probably no valid concept of “good” or “evil” beyond our biological impulses and our history of collective choice in this regard

Yet:

  • like every other life there has ever been on earth, you are utterly unique
  • like every other life there has ever been on earth, you are precious
  • like every other life there has ever been on earth, you are irreplacable
  • and everyone you know and love (or hate) is also utterly unique, precious and irreplacable
  • like every conscious being there has ever been on earth, you have the choice to imbue your life with meaning and purpose
  • and this awesome opportunity includes the freedom to adopt (or ignore) prefabricated meaning and purpose provided by one or more religions, philosophies and belief systems
  • however belief in some particular deity is probably not incumbent upon you
  • and all of the above observations still apply

My advice:

  • treasure your life, if not for itself then for its uniqueness, and for the opportunity of sharing with others
  • treasure everyone you know and love
  • live in defiance of the nothingness which fills most of the universe
  • and die only in your own good time

⊞

Comments

24 responses to “My Own Personal Alpha Course”

  1. rac

    You are indeed, unique, precious and irreplaceable, that much we agree upon!

    We agree to disagree about God, but I’m sure He respects you for at least giving the idea some thought, and I know he will welcome you when you meet 😉

    Reply
    1. alecm

      Funny thing is, Rac, the only kindness I can wish you in return is the hope that I might be wrong.

      I stand in awe of your kindness and generosity to all humanity, your charity, and your good works; but I do believe that when we both die, we cease – and all idolatry is irrelevant and indeed in your case will have been a waste other than to have provided an imaginary social framework for you to have hung your deeds upon.

      Sometimes, for the sakes of people like you, I wish I were wrong.

      But I don’t think I am.

      Hugs,

      Reply
  2. Stephen Usher

    May I add to the “Yet” column:

    Complex life is improbably amazing, treasure it in all its forms.
    You and your fellow sentient beings are the conciousness and conscience of the Universe.

    and in the “You should know”:

    The Sun will die.
    The Galaxy will die.
    The Universe will eventually fizzle out after an immeasurable amount of time.

    Reply
    1. alecm

      @Steve: Welcome additions; I considered going that far but then I would be forced to write:

      >Complex life is improbably amazing, treasure it in all its forms. Especially bacon. Crunchy, tasty bacon.

      …plus I didn’t want to get too “meta” about consciousness, since that attracts argument.

      And as for the cosmology / heat death / oscillating universe stuff – I know people will trade blows over that so I left it out; the Sun’s progression along the H-R diagram is pretty certain, however…

      Reply
  3. Stephen Usher

    Hmm.. I don’t think that you could add the bit about bacon and not get into the realms of intelligent design.

    You see, if the ultimate goal of the Universe is to create crispy bacon, not only does it have to engineer pigs but a species with the technological and manipulative abilities to create the butchering, processing, knife making and ultimately frying capabilities… 😉

    Reply
  4. diamond

    And if the ultimate goal of the universe is to create crispy bacon, then the ultimate goal of the universe has been reached. Therefore, we are all now superfluous. I’m going back to bed.

    Reply
    1. alecm

      but what if there is _better_ crispy bacon? 🙂

      Reply
  5. craigm

    A tautology for sure … as on each occasion, it does taste yet better than the last 😉

    Reply
  6. ray

    Alec, have you read the short story collection “Sum” by David Eagleman? I think you’d like it. Would perhaps make a good textbook for the Alpha course. But limit yourself to no more than one story per day for optimal brain workout.

    Reply
  7. Adriana

    Well, just as well you are NOT doing your own Alpha Course…

    Reply
    1. alecm

      Yes, but maybe I should. 🙂

      “Omega Course” is already taken by the end-days-god-is-coming-type christians: http://www.lightforthelastdays.co.uk/view_page.asp?page_id=343&section_id=5&menu_id=394

      Reply
  8. Frank

    Alec,

    on all that books and courses that people can read or take part, there is a final book that believe it or not, a guy from the UK wrote: John C. Parkin, called “F***-it”, in germany its official title on the book is “Fuck-IT”. Really worth a read and smile. John went through tons of books and million courses and trillion religions, and finally found the easy way:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtJr5ZpHe8s

    Have fun,
    Frank

    Reply
  9. bridget

    The Eagle ( ee cummings)

    It was one of those clear,sharp.mustless days
    That summer and man delight in.
    Never had Heaven seemed quite so high,
    Never had earth seemed quite so green,
    Never had the world seemed quite so clean
    Or sky so nigh.
    And I heard the Deity’s voice in
    The sun’s warm rays,
    And the white cloud’s intricate maze,
    And the blue sky’s beautiful sheen.

    Reply
    1. alecm

      Quoth the deity: E = hν 🙂

      Reply
  10. Chris Samuel

    My mind’s gone Planck..

    Reply
  11. Stephen Usher

    If The Devil is in the detail then surely “he” is a quantum effect?

    Reply
  12. David Isherwood

    “like every conscious being there has ever been on earth, you have the choice to imbue your life with meaning and purpose and this awesome opportunity includes the freedom to adopt (or ignore) prefabricated meaning and purpose provided by one or more religions, philosophies and belief systems however belief in some particular deity is probably not incumbent upon you.”

    Wonderful! Seriously.

    Now if you’d like some time (6 weeks) to talk this through in a group in which no question is too stupid and comment too daft, the Alpha Course begins at Holy Trinity Clapham on 23 September. Or I could send you details of the closest one to you if you live nowhere near here…

    Reply
  13. alecm

    @David

    Hi! Thanks for the feedback. I don’t live near Clapham, and if you read my posting you know my local Alpha Course is at a Church that provides a midpoint between my home and the local Pub, so I am ok regarding that thanks.

    Having understood and accepted that there is no God, that there is no heaven or hell, and that there is no absolute morality handed down as dictat from on high, one of the absolute joys is that there _are_ no more questions to be asked. So I don’t have any “too stupid questions” about “what does it all mean?” because the questions themselves are irrational; not merely is there “no answer” but in fact the concept of an answer does not really apply.

    Life can have as much — or more — beauty than a sunset; but a sunset does not have meaning any more than one imbues it with, and perhaps that meaning which you might share with a few others.

    I have no unanswered questions requiring fulfilment, and that’s after having gone to a Catholic boy’s school[1] which taught me enough of the Jesus thing, the Mohammed thing, the Moses thing, the Buddha thing, and even bits of the Zoroaster thing — to make me comfortably sure that people who need religion are those who’ve been indoctrinated, have learned to be swept up in community, and/or get an on-demand buzz from their pituitary gland each sunday. The church-community stuff is nice, but not unique. I’ve seen similar communities form around “Star Trek”, “Buffy” and “Xena: Warrior Princess” sci-fi fandom — and frankly the fanfic and the costumes for the latter are much more entertaining.

    Without bitterness: enjoy your sunday. I regret that you have an audience but suspect that it’s really hard for quite a lot of people to do without. It takes nerve to fly without an imaginary co-pilot, and not everyone is willing to try especially with so many others who swear that it’s mandatory to have one but who can only present their own handwritten evidence as proof.

    Please try not to save them from critical thinking.
    —
    [1] SCJ Betharram – Jesuit wannabees. They try harder.

    Reply
  14. alecm

    On Absolute Morality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCC3zGYKYPM

    Beware: potentially complex accent.

    Reply
  15. David Isherwood

    Hey Alec, what an answer to a much shorter comment. Haven’t got a clue where you live and I’m not in the business of making pew fodder of you – even if I stood half a chance. I have the greatest respect for people like you who walk away from faith. But I’m not sure if such a loaded response doesn’t need a bit of time to think about. However, responses like yours are grist to my mill – they inspire me to think, speak and act differently about faith. And no, I absolutely promise you, I have no interest in saving anyone from critical thinkling. The very idea! Best wishes, David.

    Reply
  16. alecm

    Hi David! I find it understandable but inevitably curious that you put it like that – “walking away from faith” as if faith (in some kind of God) was something concrete, tangible and useful. I understand you believe that but it’s a perspective that I don’t share, much like “walking away from vegetarianism” or “walking away from Star Trek” – you can walk away from communities, people and places, but not from an abstract notion.

    I’d find it more accurate to say that you choose to “embrace” a particular faith, whereas I ignore the multiplicity that are on offer — much as others embrace veganism as a way of life, while I enjoy bacon. In the first case you’ve made a choice and taken an action to participate and do stuff which is not actually incumbent upon you; in the latter case I have not chosen to restrict my diet from everything that the free market economy might make available to me – although I do make sub-choices amongst those.

    In both cases it is those who have taken the positive step in either embracement or denial – Christians and Vegans – who are the identifiable subgroup, distinct from everyone else.

    As you say my response is doubtless “loaded” but I’ve never been very good at walking the line between explaining to people what they already know, vs: just assuming they understand/empathise with something and so carrying on regardless; in fact I tend to view religionists as carrying around more context in need of explanation – at least I am working from the null proposition, without dogma and stories that need to be explained in terms of other context.

    Reply
  17. David Isherwood

    ‘…at least I am working from the null proposition, without dogma and stories that need to be explained in terms of other context…’ Interesting, but can’t agree with that either. Your life, like mine is loaded with stuff that forms our world and personal view in life. For me, it’s about what glasses I choose to wear as I look out on all that and what I make of it and it of me. Thanks for this opportunity to think about the way you see these issues. Best wishes.

    Reply
  18. alecm

    @david

    Your life, like mine is loaded with stuff that forms our world and personal view in life. For me, it’s about what glasses I choose to wear as I look out on all that and what I make of it and it of me.

    Oh please don’t misunderstand me; what I mean by that is that if Earth was scythed of all sapient beings — all trace eradicated of them — then every single religion would die out. None would survive, because they all depend on one generation passing on enough of the mythos unto the next, to ensure propagation.

    In short: all religions are memes. They require communication to propagate. Destroy the medium, and the message will be lost.

    On the other hand the laws of physics and the mechanism of evolution can and will be independently re-discovered (and re-verified) by any entity that comes after, and do not require context – the data, the “word” – to be carried from one generation to the next.

    Yeah, I am shaped both by physics (biology, chemistry…) and the society in which I have grown up.

    It doesn’t mean I have to partake of the woo-woo God memes, though.

    Reply
  19. alecm

    ps: As soon as someone picks up on the “but in a new civilisation, a new sun-god might arise!” argument — not all sun-gods are the same as Apollo.

    See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_evolution

    Reply

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