In the name of no one, entropy and total materialism, so be it: I invoke the absence of divinity and of any profundity that is more than a coincidence of time and space to “help me in my unbelief,” as it was put long ago. I am not just dust, I am stardust, but from the beginning of time to the heat death of the universe, I confess that my beliefs and actions have no meaning; we are all just trying to get along - consent and tolerance are my virtues, now and forevermore.
Our universe, planet and species, are an accident - often an unhappy one. I believe that we are essentially the smartest animals, descended from microbes over millennia. The fact that statistically, I am more likely to write all of Shakespere from memory without ever having read him than our Terra was to exist with the climate and resources we need to flourish, begs no questions or justification. It was all pure chance, determined by the unalterable laws of physics.
Indeed, much of this is even anathema, for as so few of us the soulless are actually experts in these things, capable of reading the stars and divining the atoms, all I can know for sure is that I have a name, mind, and body. To be clear, the mind is simply a side effect of brain activity, spurred on by external stimuli and internal hormones; how this squares with the idea of free will is not relevant - everyone’s viewpoint on these matters differ yet are still equally valid.
My name was given to me by my birthers or guardians - whoever took on the socially constructed idea of parenthood. Had I never been conceived or had I been eliminated after my conception would have borne no consequence, moral or otherwise. My body is made up of cells that simply followed the blueprint of my parents combined DNA; its aesthetics, mechanics, and hardiness are the result of evolution - I am made in the image of the beast which survives best.
My dignity comes from our socially constructed hierarchy called the state, which alone awards rights and privileges. What is bound or loosed in said hierarchy is determined by votes at the ballot box, guided by tolerance and consent. Many arguments are entertained about the limits of tolerance and consent, some of them even pointing out inconsistencies in our choices, personal and political. So far we have managed to hold out against challenges to the consensus.
At times I empathize with the poor and envy the rich. But morally there is no argument for the virtue of the former or the vice of the latter. We will all be buried in the same ground, we are all made of the same genetic stuff, we are all operating on the same “fuzzy logic” in our minds. Perhaps we can equalize things at the ballot box, redistributing from the winners of the lottery of life to the losers of it, but we understand this is only to quell unrest in our population.
Thanks be to nothing, I am not tied to wretched ideas of nature or telos. Upon reaching any age where I can express myself, I may choose any form of the hundreds of lifestyles that are available to me. Our abilities have evolved with us, so I may choose to be a parent or not, or even to be my biological sex or not. Any who question my choice may well have committed a tort and are liable for damages. But we are certain that this will not incentivize abuse or misuse.
And if life is not fulfilling enough or the meat world my mind inhabits begins to fail me, I shall not fear, for I may walk into the shadow of death, shepherded by an expert. It is such a pity to miss one’s own funeral, but providentially this problem is now solved; surrounded by who or whatever I want, with my favorite playlist reverberating over my trinkets gained, his syringe and his vial comfort me. I look forward to my sending off and the peace that comes from oblivion.
There will be no surprises, no further shore, no last trumpet. My body shall not rise again but be broken into its elements, put to use by the Earth. There is no reason to mourn - so don’t.
