Superstition - but I believe
If I ask an atheist whether he is a believer, then this is a rhetorical question. Rhetorical, because of course he is a believer. Wait a minute! Yes, I am quite serious, because even a "non-believer" believes that after death nothing follows and his existence ends. The atheist cannot prove it, so this is not knowledge, but belief.
Of course, the physical existence of our being will definitely not continue. One day, our body will make friends with worms and maggots. Or burn in the fire. The existence of the cellular network will end. But the existence of matter will not end. Every single atom in us remains - when they burn, they turn into gaseous forms. One day they will be part of living beings again. Everything is a cycle. We breathe our ancestors and ancestors every day. Everyone can consist of everything that was or will be. We are nature.
Everyone is a believer
In the end, we believe what our brain tells us. What it makes of the electronic impulses that are supposed to be processed from the eyeball, for example.
Have you ever heard that you can also hear images? Or see sounds? There are actually people who have what is known as synaesthesia. In this case, two or more sensory perceptions are combined to form a subjective sensation. For example, there are synaesthetes who can hear moving black lines on a white background. Or they see certain colour impressions with numbers (e.g. red for the six, green for the two), which can be used to help with mathematics. Synaesthesia can be inherited and it can also be quite practical to taste a sound. I wonder what Mozart's Magic Flute would taste like?
Synaesthesia can also occur in the form of schizophrenia or through the use of hallucinogens. Also in a pronounced form, in which the reality and creativity of the brain give rise to new worlds.
Once again, we believe what our brain represents - including what we may have been or are being taught by a religious community, political party or family. In other words, who we are and what we believe also depends heavily on where we are born in the world, the culture in which we start life and, as tragic as it is, whether we are born male or female.
Do you still believe or are you already questioning?
The question is somewhat superfluous, as (in my opinion) we simply always believe. Nevertheless, it shouldn't hurt to at least adhere to generally known laws of nature (which we all experience in the same way). Common sense, a little empathy and logical thinking should be particularly appropriate where outsiders feed your own mind with new material. So even with this text, as a reader I would have an imaginary alarm system running in the background, which would sound a warning in the event of any attacks on my own world view and encourage me to question things.
Every individual has their own perception of the world and in situations of extreme stress, the body can also alter consciousness by releasing endogenous drugs (hormones). For better or for worse - depending on whether the right drug is administered in the right situation. For example, if our body receives too much of the stress hormone cortisol over a long period of time, we are prone to anxiety disorders. Too little cortisol, on the other hand, can lead to depression. In some people, the body releases too much adrenaline in stressful situations. In addition to an increased pulse and blood pressure, this can also result in feelings of anxiety or flight. Hormones influence our perception, just as the missionary at the door tries to do. But with the difference that the hormones are usually more successful at it.
But I believe - what is superstition?
Although obvious evidence speaks against a theory that has become ingrained in us, we hold on to what are actually obvious fantasies. Habit and, at best, constitutions from childhood (or other times) can take away our neutral view of the world. Too much belief can impose barriers on our thinking and cause us to detach ourselves from the general reality. In extreme examples, people can be mass-manipulated. Think of the history of religions (crusades, witch hunts, oppression of women, suppression of sexuality and one's own nature, ...) or Hitler and the German people, who unfortunately cheered en masse.
The term "superstition" refers to a belief that is considered insane. In other words, things that, with a clear mind, must obviously be wrong. For me as a non-denominational person with a philosophical streak, however, all believers are believers. Whether a belief is insane or not is always in the eye of the beholder. For me, the word superstition is a construct that serves to deform people of other faiths. Just like the word pagan, which describes a person who does not believe in Christianity.
If you look at the tens of thousands of different faith communities in our world, you also have to say that all but one sect/religion cannot be true. If you start from the one truth. And the chance that a religion has actually captured and depicted reality also seems to me to be zero when thinking rationally. So we are all members of the superstitious even with our own world view - whether we like it or not.
I know that I know nothing
Humans have always strived to discover new knowledge and solve the big questions of the world. But even if we manage to get an answer to one of our questions, this usually results in several follow-up questions that disappoint our curiosity and thirst for knowledge and leave us alone.
Perhaps it is therefore in our nature that we would rather let a customised solution (religion/sect) with assertions get to us than admit to ourselves that (as Socrates already stated) we know nothing.
Where does reality lie - what is reality?
The (general) reality is probably exactly where we 7.49 billion people see, feel or hear the same thing together. Where we mirror the other person and tell them that a piece of parsley is hanging between their teeth. Or where we finally dare to compliment the mysterious beauty in the lift. For me, what is real is what happens in the mind as well as in the physical world.
It is questionable whether it is even important to know what is real. Perhaps we are not meant to know, but merely to experience, enjoy and learn (?). Perhaps the meaning of life is to be found somewhere completely different than we previously thought.
But whether reality, fantasy or dream. As long as no one is harmed by the thoughts, everyone should be allowed to live out their own beliefs.
...it's just too bad that every major religion in this world also has a warlike past.
PS:
If you feel like immersing yourself in new worlds without drugs or faith, I recommend our book corner.
I find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.