I do not believe in a supreme being. I said that long ago,surrounded by confirmation attending classmates. I remember once debating a group of students, who apparently believed in christianity but practiced none of its tenets other than harassing and shunning non-believers; I remember harassment from a classmate who then died a month after graduation, decapitated in a car accident. Apparently god didn't care about her belief. I became more tolerant over time, often forced by circumstance. Keep your mouth shut. Don't irritate your friends. All beliefs are equal.

They aren't.

Either something is, or it isn't, at least at this level of physical reality.

I am sick of being ruled by people who worship a god that didn't exist and still doesn't. That mormons get credit despite the bizarre and crazed story of their founder and his lies . People look askance at Tom Cruise and scientology, but if you hold up the bible or the koran, you suddenly earn respect and noone can argue with you. Jesus was not divine. Neither was Muhammed. Their god didn't exist, still doesn't, and theology is a pseudoscience.

Don't bring it around me anymore. I am tired of that drivel.

The Genius Of The Crowd

Charles Bukowski

there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average
human being to supply any given army on any given day

and the best at murder are those who preach against it
and the best at hate are those who preach love
and the best at war finally are those who preach peace

those who preach god, need god
those who preach peace do not have peace
those who preach peace do not have love

beware the preachers
beware the knowers
beware those who are always reading books
beware those who either detest poverty
or are proud of it
beware those quick to praise
for they need praise in return
beware those who are quick to censor
they are afraid of what they do not know
beware those who seek constant crowds for
they are nothing alone
beware the average man the average woman
beware their love, their love is average
seeks average

but there is genius in their hatred
there is enough genius in their hatred to kill you
to kill anybody
not wanting solitude
not understanding solitude
they will attempt to destroy anything
that differs from their own
not being able to create art
they will not understand art
they will consider their failure as creators
only as a failure of the world
not being able to love fully
they will believe your love incomplete
and then they will hate you
and their hatred will be perfect

like a shining diamond
like a knife
like a mountain
like a tiger
like hemlock

their finest art

This says everything. Paul

Here are three of my aunts: from the left Sigrid, Esther and Elsie

My grandparents and my aunt...thanks to my cousin for the pics.