troubled musings

atheist-perception, perceptual suicide, & progressing forward
3.10.2021

atheist-percpetion is not a perceptual force but a negation of god-perception. atheist-perception should not be considered the opposite of god-perception, but the abscence of recognition of god-perception's existence. it is a complete dismissal of the significance and power of interpreting the world within god-perception's influence.

as referenced in my first post, atheist-perception can arise from a multitude of reasons. the most common reason in the modern era is overly relying on scientific explanations for the significance of perceptual forces.

while science's importance cannot be overstated, too often scienctific language has been used to dismiss the legitimacy of human perception as merely the result of a labyrinth network of neurotransmitters and electric transmission. yes, perceptual forces arise from the nervous system, but ignoring their interpretive power can have gravely negative effects on our conscious lives. by dismissing the significance of our own perceptions, especially god-perception (which allows us to percieve profound meaning, order, joy, and transcendence from our surroundings), we relegate our individual experience into an amorphous, meaningless existence - the foundation of atheist-perception.

the logical end point of adopting atheist-perception is alientation, nihilism, and voluntary long-term social isolation. i collectively refer to these co-occuring destructive worldviews and habits as perceptual suicide. perceptual suicide stunts our ability to relate to the world and others around us. every action and consequence seems to have little meaning. we may grasp for purpose, but it becomes like grasping for wind. hope is perceived an illusory drug for fools. all things that will be done has been done. whether we die or live is insignificant. we are meaningless specks in a useless universe.

how does one not fall fully into perceptual suicide?

the short answer is i do not fully know, but i am trying to find out. i believe acknowledging god-perception is the first step. but, to re-acknowledge god-perception in the modern era will look much different than it has in the past. my writings are not a conservative "return to god" message. both "god" and religion are long dead. somehow, we must find a way to re-engage with god-perception with a modern, atheist worldview. i am not sure if it is possible, but i believe it is worth trying.

the largest hurdle is that modern science (in my eyes at least) is largely correct. our conscious lives and perceptions are nothing but a complex system of physical properties and there is no true "greater purpose" to anything. there is no such thing as an absolute morality, god, or meaning. that box has already been opened and it cannot be closed again.

many philosophers have tried to reckon with this problem - if life has no meaning, then what should i do? i would like to move beyond camus' absurdist proposition (i.e. life is absurd, yet we should persist and create our own meaning regardless) and argue that by actively interacting with and nuturing our god-perception we can begin to self-generate purpose without the need for lofty philosophical concepts. i believe that we have the capacity for purpose-generation within us and i do not mean a cynical "made-up" purpose for the sake of self-preservation. there may be a way out of perceptual suicide, and, through these writings, i would like to discover it.