Articles of Faith

As an atheist, I get slammed a bit for my lack of faith and get constant reminders that there are lots of things we take on faith. I will no longer take the existence of God as a matter of faith, but for practical reasons, there are some things I believe in that lack any sufficient proof. I believe in these things not because they are necessarily true but because they work for me. They are the things that get me out of bed each day and keep me persevering in the joke we call life.

1. There is a solution to every problem.

I know there are kids that die everyday of incurable diseases. There are quadriplegics who will never walk again. I have a father who has MS and will probably die from the disease. But I believe that there are cures for these things. They just haven't been found yet.

I believe that all problems can be solved. This may be a naive belief considering all the misery that exists in the world, but I look at the advances humanity has made. I don't think they will ever end. I think our species will outlive even a dying universe.

I believe this incredible article of faith because I choose to live. If you feel life is hopeless, I recommend you go eat a bullet and be done with it. We live in the hope that we can overcome all obstacles, so I choose to believe that no matter what problems may be in front of me, they can be solved.

2. Hard work matters.

The reality of life is that luck plays a large role in where you end up and what you achieve. I don't think Bill Gates works harder than any other person on the planet, but he does put in the hours. Billy Boy got lucky along the way, but the problem with luck is that it is out of your hands.

I don't know of any way to be lucky except to put in a lot of work. I believe in the work ethic because there really isn't any other honest strategy to live by. Hard work is the only way I know to move the odds into your favor. Granted, there are people who worked hard all their lives with nothing to show for it. But overall, I think success favors the industrious over the lazy. If you want to achieve more, you have to do more. It's really as simple as that.

3. The greatest risk is not taking one.

This is almost a corollary to number 2. Resting on your laurels or playing it safe is not safe at all. That is because you cannot escape risk. If shipwrecked on a desert island, I would spend my time building a boat or a raft to get off that sucker. I could wait for rescue, but it probably won't come. As such, I'd rather die taking a chance than die sitting in one place. I don't know if it will pay off for me, but I'm going to roll the dice anyway.

4. It is better to speak up than remain silent.

I don't know if this is necessarily true. Most people will counsel you to keep your head down and keep your mouth shut. There is a price to pay for candor, but I think it is less than the price of silence. The biggest reason I keep this blog is to use as my megaphone to the world. Most of the time, I am ignored. All I can say is that I can't recall ever paying for my candor as much as I have for keeping my mouth shut. My silence has cost me more than my outspokenness.

5. People can change.

I can't change people, and it isn't my job. But I know people can change. I don't think people are the same at 27 as they are at 37. I know I'm not. I'm a very different person today. I've seen alcoholics and addicts turn themselves around. I've also seen sane people lose their minds. But the reason I believe people can change is because it enables me to forgive.

I do not believe in the Holy Spirit. (This statement alone condemns me to eternal damnation.) But I do believe that many born again Christians have turned their lives around. I don't give credit to God because I don't believe in him, but I do give credit to those people. Look at somebody like Dog the Bounty Hunter or the many people in Alcoholics Anonymous, and you will see people who used to be one way and are now another. I know a guy who used to tip the scales at 300 and is now 135 as a consequence of distance running. Now, that is a change!

6. It is never too late.

I know I'm not going to live forever, but I believe the best is yet to come. Too often, people see aging as a death sentence. They look at 40 as already having one foot in the grave. But I am with Aristotle in that I believe that you can't judge a person's life until it has ended. The world is full of late bloomers, and people who do more at 75 than most people ever dreamed at 25. I refuse to act my age. As long as you are alive, you can still live. Or as people like to say, it is better to burn out than rust out.

I don't ever intend to retire. I am going to hang in there until the bitter end. You can keep your Geritol.

These are my articles of faith, and I might be a bit foolish to believe in them. But I believe in them in order to live. When my life is done, I will be able to say then if these articles of faith are indeed true or merely platitudinous horseshit.

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