Comments from an Advocate Against Apathy

I found this email amusing and it provoked a bit of introspection. My comments are in square brackets:

Dear Atheist Missionary,

Your blog is interesting and insightful and predictable. People love to spout what they believe, so it is a never-ending exercise in defending one’s stance and attempting to convince the fellow bloggers, tweeters, posters, of something they will never be convinced of. Wow, 3,000 twits! The atheists are validated, the theists charge forth in defence. What really is the point of it all? It appears to be an exercise in futility, rhetoric. [You sound like an advocate for apatheism]

How you have time to read so many books about, and spend so much time pondering, something that is a given, is puzzling. Do you fear you might actually meet a maker one day? Are you just making sure you won’t, over and over again, trying to convince yourself? [I was heavily indoctrinated with religion as a child so I suppose there may be fear of eternal conscious torment submerged in my subconscious. However, my interest in the philosophy of religion was sparked by a mid-life realization that Plato was right on the money when he observed that the unexamined life was not worth living]

Belief in a god or its antithesis is simply an abdication of responsibility. My view. In my view, we are the only ones responsible for what we do in all aspects of our lives, and the only ones responsible for how our actions impact the lives of others. [Agreed]

Morality cannot be tied to any god, nor can immorality be tied to any lack of a god. There is nowhere to pass the buck. [Agreed]

Whether one is a theist or an atheist is really of no consequence to me. What is of consequence, is that one practices what they preach, regardless of what that might be. Hypocrisy and immorality are so closely linked as to be synonymous in my view. [I agree that actions speak louder than words. However, I also agree with Susan Neiman when she observed that a failure to adhere to a particular moral standard does not invalidate that standard]

“Personally, I find what is called ‘rule consequentialism’ to be the most appealing because it chooses rules of moral behavior based on the consequences of those rules.” Interesting. Are the rules ever-changing to suit the purpose? [No more than a constitution requires interpretation and evolves]

I was fascinated by your relation of the values you attempt to instill in your children. Do you teach by example? [Not very well. That being said, I am a firm believer that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree]

"1. Treat other people the way you want them to treat you. Basically, be kind to others.” Do you, or can you possibly, practice this in your profession?” [Absolutely. Putting yourself in other people' shoes is an essential ingredient to successful negotiation. See Getting to Yes]

"4. Be generous - It feels good to help others and expect nothing in return.” What efforts have you made in your life to help others, that have provided you with no personal gain, be it professionally, financially or for the purpose of bolstering your own ego? You don’t mention any.” [Great question. While I give more than 10% of my income to charitable causes annually, it is an open question as to what benefits I derive from that philanthropy. The Jewish philosopher Maimonides put a high value on anonymous giving and I tend to agree with that view. There is also more than a grain of truth in Tim Minchin's brilliant Guilt Song]

6. Don't believe anything just because someone tells you.” But, if they sign a retainer agreement, defend it all costs, regardless of the human consequences. Isn’t that what lawyers do? Or perhaps just some of them. Consequential rules. ” [Just some of them. I routinely fire clients who try to sway my moral compass]

7. Don't let anyone take advantage of you or bully you.” You forgot the complementary value, ‘Don’t take advantage of or bully anyone.’ Or was that a necessary oversight? [Good point. Freudian slip perhaps?]

"If I could choose curriculum to offer students, it would be a British book entitled The Philosophy Files (Orion Children’s Books, 2005). Why? Because it teaches children how to think, not what to think.” Why can’t you choose? It seems you choose not to choose, or you just don’t really care. Are you actually getting off your blog and taking action or just pontificating in cyberspace with myriad others who also have no intention of actually effecting change? Have you brought forth recommendations to that school board or the Ministry of Education? You evidently have the time to spend on useless pursuits, how about some useful ones? If I must stand corrected, please share your recommendations about curriculum. I will support you. I am very much an advocate for advancing and creating a curriculum that is the most beneficial to each and every individual student. They are the leaders of tomorrow. They are being shortchanged in the Backwater District School Board. If I could choose a curriculum for students, it would ensure that children learn their multiplication tables, cursive writing and keyboarding skills by the second grade, so they can get on with the business of “how to think” and get through our school system with the skills to compete in the economic market that is their future. Those little Indian kids with bare feet, goats in the kitchen and government subsidized tablets, will eat your kids’ lunch. Guaranteed. What will you do about that, besides criticize religious belief, read a thousand and four books, and quote the musings of others, who also have nothing better to do?

[Most of us have hobbies that we indulge in for hedonistic reasons. I have many - golf, skiing, travel, reading, art appreciation, the NFL and writing. This blog is an outlet for my opinions and, if you would like to dismiss that as pontificating, that is certainly your right. What am I doing to actually effect change? Not much. However, in order to effect change, you need to be informed about what needs to be changed and how to change it - I am not well equipped in either regard. That's why I sometimes pine for philosopher kings. I'm just a father/husband trying to raise my kids to be happy/productive members of society and keep my clients happy so I can continue to support my family. My ambitions are modest and, if you want to call that apathy, then so be it.]

I didn’t bother to post on your blog because the publisher is surely discriminate. The unabashed self adulation in your blog is true to form. [Blush]

Your kids will apparently grow up knowing “how to think” and what will they think? They will probably come to the conclusion that no matter how much lipstick one puts on a pig, it is still a pig, underneath the veneer. [I sure hope so] I am in a position to have seen what children who know “how to think” think about what they see and experience, the absolutism of it all – much like Atheism, you just can’t argue against it and win. Those who argue against it have no proof, only a blind faith in hogwash. It is what it is. Surely it must be the same in law.

Yours truly,

Advocate Against Apathy

P.S. Puzzling commentary: “There came to him an image of man's whole life upon the earth. It seemed to him that all man's life was like a tiny spurt of flame that blazed out briefly in an illimitable and terrifying darkness, and that all man's grandeur, tragic dignity, his heroic glory, came from the brevity and smallness of this flame. He knew his life was little and would be extinguished, and that only darkness was immense and everlasting. And he knew that he would die with defiance on his lips, and that the shout of his denial would ring with the last pulsing of his heart into the maw of all-engulfing night.” These are not the words of an Atheist. [I disagree] These are the words of a man who fears, as are all the words in your blog. [No, these are the words of a man who only lived to be 38 and who understood only too well that this was likely his only kick at the can] Reread them. Heaven and Hell, such as they are, are right here to be endured. No escaping, no buck passing, and so many onlookers, students, impressionable children. [These are comments I applaud] Teach your children well.