I am interrupting what I consider (and I don’t much care for whatever anyone else thinks) to be one of my most important diatribes on modern climate related mush. Interrupting that for what? For the purpose of something which just came up about what I consider (with equal contempt for other’s opinions) to be the most degrading, superfluous, and entrapping set of ideas afflicting a majority of humanity for at least several thousand years of our brief history. The ideas that there may exist supreme, or in the worst of cases a single supreme being, that is responsible for and governs the entire contents of the universe and in particular detail the lives and times, past and future, of all humanity as its ‘pet’ project, under a set of rules administered and laid down by a subset of ‘special’ people from among our number – expressly for their own purposes. I personally deny the right or even the existence of any such being, together with the self-appointed authority of any human being to exercise such authority over my own life and existence.
I am of course talking about the subject of religiosity – all religiosity, of whatever source and nature. It is all absolute nonsense. It is degrading and it is both pervasive and destructive of human will and life itself.
No such supreme being(s) exists in reality. Let that thought seep into your mind, think about it, accept it, and you will experience true freedom of being, perhaps for the first time in your life. You, as an independent human being, are not subject to the whims and dictates of any god figure or any anti-god figure of any kind. Nor are you subject to any set of religious rules, all of which are laid down in ‘sacred’ texts written by men, just like yourselves, for less than ‘divine’ purposes. And, perhaps the biggest of human fears, nor are you subject to any post-death judgement based on what you did while alive, which could consign you to either to some form of reward in some form of heaven or nirvana, nor to a punishment in a place, the product of sick minds, commonly referred to as such names as hell or hades. You need have no such fear or expectation. No god, also means no heaven or hell, no angels or demons. Virtue and evil still exist of course. They are both natural human traits and require no cause or reference to non-human affairs. I cannot tell you if there is natural reward or punishment for good or bad acts after the final breath leaves the human body as a lifeless and decaying temporary dwelling or prison for an eternal spiritual essence. I am yet to experience that transition, if such a change actually exists. It does turn out to be an end of life and nothing more, then that does seem to be a waste of a few decades of accumulated experiential learning on how to live decently (or not), but it can also be a blessed release from agonised suffering for many people. Of course, if there is nothing beyond that final breath but extinction of the life-form (the ‘you’) it preserved from birth to that fateful moment, then it will not matter whether there is or is not a god or heaven or hell awaiting us. Because there will also be no experience and no knowledge of that condition. ‘You’ would simply cease to exist. And that would seem to be the most likely outcome. Only the most deep and wishful thinking of the human mind, which would cease to function from loss of blood at the moment of physical death, could imagine any other outcome, while alive. But until that moment, you can hope for a new life, somewhere, physical or non-physical. After that moment, it will not matter either way. So, live without fear. That will be far easier to accomplish if you determine to live it well, being pleasant and caring to others in whatever capacity you are able to muster. And that, in itself, has its own rewards, in inner joy, peace and contentment.
In De Rerum Natura, the Roman Epicurean Lucretius is recorded as saying:
…conventional religiosity is portrayed as the distressing result of ignorance regarding natural causes—causes that are strictly material…
…which is mainly what prompted me to begin this post after I read it in the post linked below. I have attempted to further explain here my version of exactly what that means. The same quotation is also used in the article below, from which readers may derive further benefit. It is basically another diatribe. This time against Carl Sagan as a mediocre scientist (more of a scientific communicator).
I myself have been critical of Sagan in the past, particularly his less than satisfactory, even bumbling, efforts in front of the US Senate on climate change. Which I took to mean he didn’t really believe what he was saying. Perhaps I was fooled by his incompetence on the matter. But I have also appreciated his communication skills.
This is a really interesting piece, at times derogatory and at times amusing. I cite a short paragraph to that effect, which comments on Sagan’s last book – released after his death. I found the obvious sarcasm – for once, it doesn’t happen often – brought a wry smile to my face and a chuckle to my throat…
At any moment, an asteroid could appear and wipe everything out. Furthermore, humans are dangerous animals because they keep inventing things that interfere with the atmosphere. For instance, they invented modern medicine, which reduced mortality rates and caused the population to swell, leading to more people consuming energy. They invented CFCs, which were punching a hole in the ozone layer—threatening to kill vital algae after giving white people skin cancer, white people being the ones responsible for CFCs, which proves that cosmic justice exists. (Everyone was black just a few pages back, but never mind that.)
Carl Sagan and the specter of pedantry haunting the West – Bruna Frascolla – Strategic Culture Foundation – Sep 26, 2026
There are also aspects in this article which relate well to my upcoming climate piece (hopefully released in a day or so). And also to the COVID vaccine furore which has yet to surface properly. I found the Frascolla piece a very interesting read.
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