🌱 Ecstatic materialism

Book of TREE 1.71

I am an ecstatic materialist.

This is the answer that came when I asked myself what I believe about the nature of the universe. It was back in spring. I was on the five-minute walk home from the shops.

Materialist because I think the stuff, observable and (as yet) unobservable, that makes up the universe is what there is. I don’t find it personally helpful to believe that god(s), spirits or the stars are guiding and shaping reality. I don’t think I am something other/more than my body.

Ecstatic (1,2,3) because life! Because the universe! Have you noticed? It’s really big and it’s made of things that are incredibly small and it’s super complex. 3000 light years from here, there’s a red giant pumping star material onto a dead white dwarf and every 80ish years the dead white dwarf builds up enough material that it explodes and becomes visible to our eyes for a week or so. That’s happened in September. Right now a few dozen house martins are flying from my street down to Africa where they’ll spend the winter because all our flying bugs have disappeared for a few months. Also music exists. Plus there’s the 97% of the universe we haven’t got a handle on yet. How would I not be ecstatic?

You may already have an answer for what you believe about the nature of the universe. There are plenty of tried and tested answers that work well for huge numbers of people – Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, New Age, pagan, spiritual but not religious, et cetera for miles. But if you haven’t got a snappy answer and ecstatic materialist fits where you’re at right now, you’re welcome to use it.

Had to be this one today. ‘Do not be afraid.’

Happy weekend!
Jeff