tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4318375667051435937.post5981782997169317208..comments2023-08-25T16:13:51.356+01:00Comments on Martin In The Margins: An uneasy atheist at ChristmasMartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15608932251584881007noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4318375667051435937.post-73336046093009390332009-12-23T01:02:48.674+00:002009-12-23T01:02:48.674+00:00Nah, Martin, not a difficult time for *all* atheis...Nah, Martin, not a difficult time for *all* atheists :)<br /><br />Xmas ain't too bad, if you forget the mass commercialism, the vulgar adverts, the silly music, the fake sincerity, the excessive indulgence, the drunkenness, the falling over, the vomit and the agony of remembering that you've forgotten someone and it's too late to get their present.<br /><br />All of that too, but really go with the flow!<br /><br />Have a laugh, re-connect with people, tell a few old jokes, obviously lay off the drink a bit, take more vitamin, let someone else get stressed out.<br /><br />So I'd say, for me, Xmas ain't too bad, if you are thick skinned and like buying stuff for people.<br /><br />Oh and there's plenty of God nonsense about too. Just ignore it.<br /><br />If you really want to wind people up, remind them of the pagan/Roman roots to winter festivals, etc.<br /><br />But other than that I wouldn't bother, and on the bright side at least you don't have to go to midnight mass!ModernityBloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06354254639321208955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4318375667051435937.post-77694592911608373172009-12-20T19:40:25.761+00:002009-12-20T19:40:25.761+00:00Thanks to both for the comments.
Peter - Good to ...Thanks to both for the comments.<br /><br />Peter - Good to hear from you. 'Go with the flow'? Sounds appealing. The trouble is, the flow comes and goes, and has no consistency without the undertow of intellectual assent...otherwise it's mere subjectivism and emotionalism, perhaps?<br /><br />Minnie - Wistfulness? But of course. 'From the optic of a believer' : perhaps you'll say more, some time? Glad you liked the Poulenc: currently my seasonal favourite, just pushing Praetorius into second place.<br />A Merry Christmas to you too. And I hope you've recovered from your fall.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15608932251584881007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4318375667051435937.post-78272617110807236242009-12-20T09:56:02.053+00:002009-12-20T09:56:02.053+00:00Delightful post, Martin - thank you. Read & en...Delightful post, Martin - thank you. Read & enjoyed it yesterday, so returned to do the decent thing and say so.<br />Written with clarity (difficult when discussing largely emotional matters and the mystifying states you describe), plus sincerity and a slight wistfulness ... (or is that my gloss, from the optic of a believer?!).<br />Love the Poulenc.<br />Bonne fete - as they say, here (you'll have to imagine the lovely, singsong accent). Merry Christmas & happy New Year to you, Mrs M and the Marginalia.Minniehttp://minniebeaniste.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4318375667051435937.post-46621439248299758982009-12-20T00:23:01.252+00:002009-12-20T00:23:01.252+00:00Martin --
I would suggest "to go with the f...Martin -- <br /><br />I would suggest "to go with the flow", just allow yourself to succumb to the feelings you experience, rather than seeking to find beliefs which would justify them to yourself or to others. As you know from my blog, I think it a peculiarly contemporary western intellectual feature this, the seeking of beliefs to provide rationale for actions. <br /><br />Would you seek to explain love in a similar way, in terms of some objective beliefs about your loved ones or about the world? Of course not. We all recognize love as subjective, beyond rational explanation. So, why seek to explain a desire for mystical experiences in terms of some objective beliefs then?peterhttp://www.vukutu.com/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4318375667051435937.post-41033760170200870472009-12-19T19:26:30.311+00:002009-12-19T19:26:30.311+00:00And a merry Christmas to you too, Eve. Thanks for ...And a merry Christmas to you too, Eve. Thanks for the comment.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15608932251584881007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4318375667051435937.post-57221336922592664492009-12-19T19:26:06.701+00:002009-12-19T19:26:06.701+00:00Here's a comment from Eve that somehow went as...Here's a comment from Eve that somehow went astray:<br /><br />Eve Garrard said...<br /><br />What a terrific description of the condition of the uneasy atheist, Martin, thankyou for writing it. I recognise and share a large amount of this; in fact, it doesn't actually require Christmas or wonderful Britten music to start me off - just going into a suitably gothic and/or lonely church is enough to make tears prick at the back of my eyes. And that's without even having been brought up as a Christian! So it can't just be nostalgia doing the work.<br /><br />Merry Christmas to you, or as merry as can be expected for atheists in this uncomfortable predicament.<br /><br />SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2009 12:07:00 PM<br /><br />Saturday, December 19, 2009 7:23:00 PMMartinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15608932251584881007noreply@blogger.com