As toddlers we view the world with unconditional optimism, from the time we learn to roll over and crawl, we learn that with effort and persistence, we can achieve and conquer each goal, putting that which was once out of reach within our grasp. This is part of being human, to learn through trial and error, to acquire an understanding that we're in charge of what we gain through our efforts. Toddlers do not believe in magic, they have no concept of technology, yet they quickly learn that if they stand up, they may fall, and however many times they fall, they strive to get up again. Babies are not born clumsy - in fact, each time they fall, they learn how NOT to; this is the innate ability of humans, and this is why we are capable of achieving, successively improving upon earlier records.
We determine that there are certain rules that cannot be broken - the most predominant of these are the physical laws, eg, the constant gravitational force of the Earth on our bodies. That we cannot move physical objects with the power of our mind, or that we cannot walk through brick walls. We accept these concepts, not only because we have tested them, but because of the belief we uphold in our confidence to judge and ascertain observational aspects of our reality; that is, until we're told otherwise ...
The majority of people will not be able to pilot a space shuttle, but given enough training, any able-bodied person would be capable of skillfully operating a space shuttle should they apply themselves confidently to the task. They may crash the simulator a few times, but the process of learning involves understanding how to fail in order to recognize the pitfalls and overcome them next time. Success really, is a process of repeated failure. Nobody ever gets it right the first time, even if by some fluke they did, then they would have lost out on the opportunity to experience the alternative outcome, which could prove invaluable should they decide to instruct others in the future.
Religion, or more specifically, believing in a supernatural, all-powerful being who controls every aspect of your life, can be seen to obstruct the natural learning mechanism which I described above. I don't doubt that theists can and have been successful - the very idea that there are unknown, unexplained, and unproven forces that determine fate, although a religious person may feel that they are conscious of how they think and in control of when they apply their faith, such concepts remain active on a subconscious and systemic level which exerts a much stronger influence upon an individual's actions and decisions than they are consciously aware of.
Being religious, may have its benefits. There may be more opportunities for employment within the religious peer group, as those who have established positions within companies are willing to recommend those who follow the same faith. But how much is that a success? While some may consider slaving away to earn money for someone else as the ultimate goal in their life, and many with a religious mindset do seem to think this way because they have been trained to obey and follow, true success is putting yourself on the path to attaining your own goals, whatever they might be. And (on a sidenote) to those who say, "But I don't have the
luxury to choose my career path, I have bills to pay...", they may be better off paying their bills by becoming a prostitute or drug dealer; if they're making more money than that, then I believe that they
do have the luxury, except they're too busy indefinitely slaving themselves for their high maintenance lifestyle - until redundancy wakes them up with a hard cold slap in the face; I digress. While I disagree that a job position be given solely on the merit of religious inclination, which at least constitutes discrimination, and also exempts many others who may be better suited to the job in question, the person who is awarded the job based on their religious beliefs will expect the same treatment for all the jobs they will apply to in future, and if they don't get the job, then it will be "God's will".
GOD'S WILL
What is God's will? For everything else there is an explanation, and if something does not make sense, or goes against the desires or wishes of
an individual then for theists, it is God's will. If a theist goes to the races, bets on a horse that does not win, is that God's will or just a gambler down on his luck? If he continues to bet and lose, is this the will of God? or as a way to test the theist's faith (thus a true believer will continue gambling)? Because when one begins to reason like that, then it is easy to see why some people fall into a slippery pit, and continue stay there out of a stubborness to accept reality.
There is always an underlying reason to believe the things we do. Someone who has a fear of failure, may prefer not to try, if they don't try, then they won't need to face failure, right? They may have not had much success, so they attribute it to God's or Gods' WILL (who is to say that there is only one or many gods?) Seems harmless enough, right? But just think, what those few words are doing on a subconscious level... They are reinforcing, and reaffirming an underlying belief, whether that belief is at a conscious or subconscious level is irrelevant, the fact is that it allows the individual to justify their failure. It is not only a justification of failure, it is a form of denial - a denial of failure. In order to succeed at anything, we must recognize our failure, to deny failure, is to not see it at all, and therefore the opportunity to learn, improve and correct has been lost.
The person who places him or her self at the mercy of the unknown and mysterious workings of an invisible higher super being, has already surrendered themselves and therefore their life to a process of cumulative unsuccesses, one after the other. They may or may not be aware of their failings until someone points it out, perhaps they know that something is wrong, and the feeling of helplessness might drive them into a depression, which causes them to burrow deeper into their religion for comfort because it confirms their belief and is a way to ignore and face a fearful reality. Why, it is better to fear God, than it is to fear reality, they'll say! For reality hurts infinitely more than what God can do, because 'He' supposedly gives you the 'love' (ignorance) you so desire when you are down...
Now back to the start of my article. A child picks him/herself up after falling down, knowing full well that they could fall again. A child will not say "It is God's will that I fell!" because such 'reasoning' is taught by the Church. If we all thought like that, then many of us would be in wheelchairs. The truth is, that there is no fear. Once again, judgement is a concept that has been perpetuated and perpetrated by the doctrine of religion. A child does not consider falling over as a failure, nor do the child's parents. The greatest fear is fear itself, and those who have the biggest dreams, fear the biggest disappointment, something that hasn't or never will happen. If we have a dream, there is no reason why we can't put it at least within our grasp, for success is a process of trial and error - to think otherwise is to live in a fantasy world where everything comes true when you wish for it to an all powerful wizard who lives in the sky. Besides, the ultimate destination is death, so whichever way you see it, all that you could or would gain in life, would eventually be lost anyway - there really is
nothing to lose. As each second of your life ebbs away, it is better to think, "It is
my life and it is MY will!"
Each failure, should be seen as a step forward towards the greater goal. Those who are quick to accept defeat, may also be quick to accept god/gods and accept their situation for better, or worse. Just one small idea can change your entire life, this idea is that you are the only one in charge of and responsible for your life, no super being, no magic,
just you. You can choose to change your life just by accepting this one powerful idea. Allow that idea to infuse your mind, and then you can begin to move upwards towards your happiness instead of a slow painful downward spiral. All the other good things will follow from then onwards. Don't believe in god, believe in yourself.
