Say you're a beautiful woman. You're also a talented singer and actor. You might this great, handsome, pretty talented guy who just happens to fairly famous. You fall in love with him, he with you, you get married, have a child. Then one day he has an accident and loses his ability to walk, pick things up, pretty much do anything without the aid of a machine and/or another person. You love him so much that when he asks if they should turn off the machine keeping him alive you tell him that you're willing to give up everything in your life to help him not only live but get better.
Years go by--you've given up your acting and singing and have given yourself to this new cause--not only your husband, but the fight against his ailment. It's a tremendous struggle, but one you know you and he will win and therefore make it easier for others to fight the same fight you have.
Then, another accident happens.
He dies.
Somewhere along the line you are diagnosed with lung cancer.
You don't even smoke.
You keep your cancer a secret probably because you don't want it to discourage your husband. Less than a year after he dies, you tell the world that now you're dying.
Less than a year after that, you die at age 44.
You know what? Now, more than ever, I don't believe that God exists. Now, more than ever, I don't want him to exist.
Rather than simply assume that there is a God (based on absolutely zero tangible fact) I don't want there to be a God because any God who would put people through lives as frustrating as the lives the Reeves struggled through is a truly sadistic fuck.
I pray to no entity who's big benefit is "Hey! I let you live!"
Well, God did't send down an angel to save Reeve's life or that of her husband. They have done immense good and could have both continued to do so if they hadn't died for no good reason.
Nope, I definitely think it's a helluva lot easier to think of this life as a wonderful, incredible thing that can end instantly for any of us in the blink of an eye. I don't want to believe in a here-after because it takes away the value of the here-and-now. If Chritopher and Dana Reeve are in heaven now, what good are they doing for people there?
It's all just so stupid.
Life is random. Live it before you lose your chance.
The Reeve's did.
Dana Reeve, RIP. She passed on Monday in a hospital in New York.
I would have linked to the obit that E! had on their website, but they had giant ads that kept talking to me. Way to advertise on the same page as an obit. VERY classy.
Check out [http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18395856%5E2902,00.html|this obit] from http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au instead.
Preach it, brother.
ReplyDeleteYou know; your answer is the same way I feel. Thank you, is good to know I am not alone.
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not alone on this either. I always feel like I'm going to insult people by talking about how absurd religion is to me. One of these days I'm going to have to do a full-on pro-Atheism post that explores in more detail the absurdity of believing in a god.
ReplyDeleteI still respect everyone's right to believe what they want--but I also am fine with people making fun of me for my beliefs--just so long as they are fine with me making fun of theirs. I've been criticized for not believing in God. I had a conversation with a Christian once who accused me of being pompous because I couldn't admit that God created all of us. I asked him if he thought he was being pompous by assuming he was right about God at all. He didn't have an answer for me.
Anyway, thanks for your comments, Jen and Javier!
I agree, maybe there is a god, but if there is then he is a mean mother-f***er. Or he just has nothing to do with us and lets the world take it's course. To me, the death of Dana Reeve is just cruel. Apparently she was too good a person or something. I have stopped worshipping so called god a long time ago. He has never, ever done anything for me, or anyone I know. Glad to not be the only one who feels this way....
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