"The only position that leaves me with no cognitive dissonance is atheism. It is not a creed. Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell. Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness and joy and love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more."
Christopher Hitchens
I agree completely. But of course everyday there are moments in our life of cognitive dissonances, and any creed is the first and easy attempt to find an explanation/solution/concert pitch. Our thinking process should be upgraded by the installation of waiting queues.
ReplyDeleteWhile browsing some of your older posts, I stumbled upon this quote from March 1, 2011: ""Bach opens a vista to the universe. After experiencing him, people feel there is meaning to life after all."
ReplyDeleteWhether it comes through Bach, Paul McCartney, or Kunze/Levay - it's exactly that kind of spiritual breakthrough that tells me there's something much greater than my life, somewhere out there, which leaves me wanting for more. Much more.
How can I enjoy the mysteries of life and not seek the solutions?