Tuesday - Wednesday, February 21 - 29 2012 (diary)

Flat out preparing for bridge sessions again (one beginners and one intermediate course going at present) so less time for the Blog.

Alain de Botton is in Australia at present, promoting his latest book (about what Atheists can learn from religion). He was interviewed on TV a couple of times.
Atheists, de Botton points out, should of course not heed the religious message, but use some of the methods religion uses. Such as promoting the feeling of community, contemplation and the focus on moral values. He advocates for example that every one should preserves half an hour each day for silent contemplation, away from noise, people, mobile phones. Certainly for people in cities this is a good idea.

Atheists, unless they are in the public eye, on the main don't make a point of "coming out". Perhaps this is partly because we don't want to offend religious people, partly because we feel this is a strictly personal matter which concerns no-one else but oneself.   But perhaps we should seek each other out more and get established as a group, a community. The World Conference of Atheists last year in the USA is perhaps a sign of things to come.

Personally I am not fussed. The way I feel and position myself within the world and the universe is a strictly private thing. As a strong introvert I am contemplative by nature and usually happiest when I am by myself. And here in my cabin on the Mango farm I have plenty of time for contemplation, I have given cities a miss a long time ago!