There is no god?....
There is no hope?....
Yeah, ... that's my conviction; but still--who am I to judge?
As if I ever knew..., as if I hadn't given up every conviction sooner or later.
As if I hadn't once thought that mere belief could be good enough for myself and later found out it's all useless.
Of course, it's not that easy...
The approach of a scientist
To start with, I count on science and rigorously draw a fat line between religion and science to outline the difference. But as a scientist, my view can only be an agnostic one, never a religious view, never a view of an atheist--since we have neither evidence of the presence of supernatural beings nor evidence of its/her/his//their absence. You can even put science next to religion, arguing that everything bases on belief; and you'd start your argument, for instance, by mentioning the fact that the Big Bang Theory is only a theory--and you'd be right. Then the scientist's arrogance stems from the regular "miracles" that give her, it or him reason to believe. The last prophecy that made me a believer of science is when the little men in my TV could tell me precisely that one day amid a summer day the sky will turn dark for fife minutes: Once you saw an eclipse you have an easy time believing what they told you in school.
Well... Flat Earthers who have heard of CGI have a different struggle going on. If NASA are the bad ones and no man has ever been to the moon, we're all fucked and the Flat Earthers will be our future scientists. I still deem the comeback of Your lord Jesus Christ more plausible...
But, you know, scientists are not afraid of doing away with all once-precious theories if they show too many flaws when data points in a different direction. And that means our knowledge is never absolute or law-binding. Our opinions and conclusions quite often count as much as everyone else's opinion – at best. However, we may be more resourceful and more convincing. You remain best informed if you stay critical.
The approach of a philosopher
The vague philosophical access that I try to playfully put into my writings do have a different purpose. When I put philosophical content in the mix, I usually want to give you a decent change of perspective, so that you don't get stuck in bad habits and old-fashioned narratives that may have paralyzed your mind in the ubiquity of mainstream society. Philosophy can serve in three ways:
Above science – as a measurement that is supposed to provide an overview
On one level with sciences – as one little brotherly scholarship next to the arts and humanities, science and maybe even theology
And below – as a servant to the sciences. In this position, the tools of philosophy shall help the sciences develop "consciously" and well-thought-outly.
The approach of an artist? Hopefully not!
I personally am definitely not like most people, and I do not look and present myself like "normal" people. Some people, therefore, might think that I take it as a compliment when they call me an artist. But that means something totally different to me cuz if I am an artist, then being an artist is a curse. It means that I'm excluded from society; that I have to stay alone; that I'm permanently defined by the interpretations of others and that I, therefore, have to be misunderstood to serve a purpose that keeps me highly frustrated--albeit wishing to determine my role in this world by myself.
...and then, yes, it also means that I regularly do things "ordinary" folks wouldn't dare to do and, therefore, enjoy life for certain moments more than others. Then, yes, it also means that I sometimes get the best drugs and--high on such drugs--create pieces of art that appear out-of-the-box thought-provoking. But, you know,... life is useless since art ruined my life; and it pretty much feels as if that is what curators and other creepy advocates of art want to convey. The most impressive artists usually kill themselves; and I now understand why.
Everyone who's called an artist is doing the wrong guys in this hypocritical world a favor if she or he ends her or his life earlier than necessary. Make sure they never call you an artist. Never in a thousand years should you come up with the thought, "Hey, I want to be an artist." You wouldn't want that if you knew what that means. That profession is polluted with narratives you couldn't handle once you got the image of an artist. Tell yourself, "I want to be a drug dealer, I want to be a rapist, I want to be a pedophile, I want to be a nazi, I want to be serial killer, I want to be a crack whore, I want to be a child molester, I want to be a flat earther, I want to be a piss porn actor, I want to be a corpse fucker". Whatever else may sound pleasant to you, just never think about becoming an artist. Otherwise, you'll lose your girl, your friends, your happiness; you'll lose everyone whose company used to make you happy. I will definitely keep the approach of an artist out of the equation whenever I can...just to give purpose to that tiny piece of self-respect I conjured up lately in a lonesome hour. Maybe it helps to stay a little longer.
In part 2 I'll type down a few thoughts about an easy reading that I put into mind an estimated twenty years ago. Most of the book's content got stuck in my mind since I read it in English and in German within a few months. Since there weren't many other books I swallowed back then it had quite an impact on me. However, just like most religious books I wouldn't fancy reading it again; cuz it's not that good, not that much of a wisdom creator and doesn't fully display how the belief in evil can guide the way we walk thru life... at least not in the long run.....
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