Mr Spinkles
Mr
When tragedy strikes, theists look to their gods for meaning and for comfort (as well as their friends, family, etc.). But what about nontheists? How does a nontheist respond to tragedy?
It seems to me that one who embraces a secular worldview must find comfort in his/her fellow human. Thus, when tragedy occurs a nontheist does not look up to the gods but around at other people.
I can't speak for other nontheists, obviously, but for me personally, when horrible events happen I think along the following lines: the horrible events were completely senseless. That is to say, sure, there may have been "reasons" behind the events--but those reasons were not the reasons of any intelligent, compassionate minds like ours. They were the reasons of mindless, amoral nature--tectonic plates shifting, storm fronts colliding, etc. Natural catastrophes do not fulfill any sort of divine or heavenly plan, nor are they punishment sent from above for something that the victims were doing. (Obviously, some natural catastrophes are the result of human actions....but many are not.)
There are no gods, or prophets, or saviors; so unless SETI discovers a signal from intelligent extraterrestrials, we're going to have to look to each other for comfort and for help. The way I see it, if there are no gods or ancestral spirits, that makes it even more important for we as a species to ignore ethnic, social or political boundaries, because if we don't help each other, no one will. If we don't love each other, and cherish each other, and value each other, no one will.
That is why when bad things happen, I don't see any use in trying to interpret it: "What did they do to deserve this?" Chances are, the victims didn't do anything. But hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes have no way of knowing that, so there's no use in getting upset at them. The only thing one can do is volunteer to help, donate money, hug your loved ones, and remember every day how precious life is, and how fortunate we are to have each other.
It seems to me that one who embraces a secular worldview must find comfort in his/her fellow human. Thus, when tragedy occurs a nontheist does not look up to the gods but around at other people.
I can't speak for other nontheists, obviously, but for me personally, when horrible events happen I think along the following lines: the horrible events were completely senseless. That is to say, sure, there may have been "reasons" behind the events--but those reasons were not the reasons of any intelligent, compassionate minds like ours. They were the reasons of mindless, amoral nature--tectonic plates shifting, storm fronts colliding, etc. Natural catastrophes do not fulfill any sort of divine or heavenly plan, nor are they punishment sent from above for something that the victims were doing. (Obviously, some natural catastrophes are the result of human actions....but many are not.)
There are no gods, or prophets, or saviors; so unless SETI discovers a signal from intelligent extraterrestrials, we're going to have to look to each other for comfort and for help. The way I see it, if there are no gods or ancestral spirits, that makes it even more important for we as a species to ignore ethnic, social or political boundaries, because if we don't help each other, no one will. If we don't love each other, and cherish each other, and value each other, no one will.
That is why when bad things happen, I don't see any use in trying to interpret it: "What did they do to deserve this?" Chances are, the victims didn't do anything. But hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes have no way of knowing that, so there's no use in getting upset at them. The only thing one can do is volunteer to help, donate money, hug your loved ones, and remember every day how precious life is, and how fortunate we are to have each other.
