If I Could Live Again, What Would I Do, What Would I Skip?

DO

#1 I would, again, major in Creative Writing at university, moving to the glorious California coast (from frigid Nebraska), attending Long Beach State. That was one of the best decisions I made my first time around the sun on the 3rd planet from Sol.

#2 Would sign up, again, as a conscientious objector against the U.S. immoral, unethical Vietnam War
where the U.S. government first supported France’s attempt to take over by war the country of Vietnam, again, after WW ll.

Then beginning in the 1950’s and 1960’s--even though Vietnam hadn’t attacked the U.S.—the U.S. started and fought a long unjust war
where our military and political leaders dropped more bombs on the little country and Laos and Cambodia, than all of bombs used in WW ll!

So many innocent civilians were slaughtered, at least hundreds of thousands.
There are still 80 million U.S. unexploded bombs buried in Laos!

Every year these U.S. bombs still kill or wound 50 people, 40% of them children.

This time I would spend even more time witnessing against the lethal violence, oppression, nationalism, and misguided idealism of the U.S.

#3 I would, again, spend the summer of 1966 volunteering on the Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana, working with teens and children.

(See picture) Me and other mission volunteers (4 girls:-), and missionaries during the Vietnam War, working for the Mennonite Board of Missions in Busby and Lame Deer, Montana on the Cheyenne Indian Reservation in the summer of 1966.

This was before my being drafted and, as a conscientious objector, sent to work in a mental hospital for disturbed teens and children in Trevose, Pennsylvania.

#4 Would, again, become a liberal Friend (with UU leanings) emphasizing the seeking of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful via communal meditation, reason, inclusivism, justice, human rights, compassion, and peacemaking.

#5 Would, again, join Amnesty International and work for human rights, writing many letters to other governments around the world, appealing for the release of "Prisoners of Conscience," especially ones unjustly arrested, incarcerated, and oppressed by Islamic governments such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

#6 And move to Palestine/Israel to work on a kibbutz for at least 7 months as I did back then, though this time, I would stay longer, maybe a couple of years. (An image of AI, and a picture of myself at the Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall)

SKIP

#1 Skip the Christian religion, and thus not have to do verbal battle, again, for 55 years with most Christian leaders who claim that God has foreordained every evil event, every natural disaster, every horrific plague, and foreordained billions of humans to eternal damnation for his own “glory” and “good pleasure”.:-(

And that all infants at conception are “stained” with sin, “sinful,” “in essence evil,” etc.

Not have to drag my wife (and kids) through many years of church doctrinal conflict, Christian delusionary claims.

If only at that central crisis point of my life, on the fall day at Long Beach State, when I was at a 50%-50% decision between leaving Christianity or not, I would have left.

Because of all its failings, pro-war actions, doctrinal incredulities, persecutions, anti-science claims, etc.—if only I had skipped doctrinal Christianity, then my life (and that of my family) would have been so much better and happier.

But I fell into the abyss of life-long struggles with organized religion because at that crisis day, because I realized that Atheism was even worse than religion, so I pulled back into the Christian religion. But that was an either/or fallacy.

There were alternatives to the either/or of Christianity (and other horrific religions such as Islam, Hinduism, etc.)
versus Atheism.

This time around, I would make a wiser choice.

#2 Skip dropping out of university (at Long Beach State) in January 1967, which led to me not getting my B.A. in Creative Writing until the spring of 1973.

This time, I would stay in college, get my degree Creative Writing in 1969, along with my teaching credential, and get a good job, instead of working for a number of years in minimum wage jobs.

Because of that bad choice, I didn't start my career until 1982!

TO BE CONTINUED—

In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

Start with Questions: Is it TRUE?

Is it TRUE?

Do we speak truth to power?

Are we transparent, open?

Is this news report, religious claim, political ad, history book accurate?

Is it RIGHT?

Is that new law proposed by the government fair?

Do our actions stand for human rights everywhere in the world, for everyone?


Is it PURE?

Are we innocent, clear, lucid, authentic?

Is that show we are watching,
that thought we are focused on,
that song we are listening to over and over,
that novel we like,
those words we speak--are they polluting our minds, smogging our perspectives?


Toward others are we EMPATHETIC AND COMPASSIONATE?

Is it HONEST?

Is it GOOD?

Is it JUST?

Is it KIND?

Is it HOPEFUL?

Is it COURAGEOUS?

Is it GENEROUS?

Is it CREATIVE?

Is it EXCELLENT?

Is it PRESENT?

and?


In the LIGHT,

Daniel Wilcox

Innumerable Trails: A Reflection on Choices

We’re old backpackers; we have hiked up various high trails in the Sierra Nevada’s and down many a descent-track into the Grand Canyon.

Similarly, the ascent of life/existence itself has innumerable trails that lead off in many different directions.

However, too often, we humans forget that fact, that there are so many alternative ways, and instead get caught in an Either/Or fallacy of 'trials.'

I got caught there once—made the worst decision of my life, one that would cause me seemingly endless grief and others, especially my close family, plenty of problems, too.

The split in the trail came one bright sunny day—really splendid weather outside—where I stood on the sidewalk between 4-story classroom buildings at Long Beach State in California in the fall of 1966.

The memory has remained so vivid, so option-able since I stood undecided looking up/down two entirely different routes, conundrum-stopped at 50% to 50%, uncertain which way to go.

I stood there torn between the atheism highway of most of our brilliant professors and knowledgeable fellow students

versus

the Christian religion of my past childhood and youth.

At the time, there seemed to be only two choices--an Either/Or.

If I had to do it over again, I would still opt to take the trail away from atheism—for that philosophy, besides being essentially negative (emphasizing "from a- "without"), mainly represented what was wrong including subjective and relative ethics.

But this time around—if I could live again, was able to revise/revisit my life journey, I would never choose religion as a path.

The latter led mostly to years of false promises, delusion, trials, deep despair, and hopelessness.

Thankfully, that is only part of my life's arduous journey.

A number of times, I have backpacked on dangerous primitive trails in the Grand Canyon.
But once, on one hardly used trail it was extremely dangerous. The path thinned to only one foot wide, with a drop-plummet of at least 2,000 feet almost straight down to my left.

And there were rock slides I had to crawl over, and wind gusts of about 20 miles per hour pulling on my backpack!

Let me tell you, truthfully, I got very scared, and I promised myself that if I ever got off that trail, I wouldn't ever take it ever again.

Since, I am writing this you know I survived:-)


Plus, I got to see a small herd of seldom-seen Big Horn Sheep,

and a growling fox warning me off the trail's switchback;
and I almost stepped onto a very large
curled-up rattlesnake on the walk path, too. And so many
geological layers of vividly colorful rock dating back
multi-millions of years ago.


Dangers! But now, I look back on on that dangerous trip and am filled with wonder and almost joy.



I wish the same could be said for the dangerous 'trials' I took in religion.

But those chosen pathways have caused so much hurt and harm to so many humans.
And many have plummeted over the edge,
and even worse many of religion's leaders
glory in that fact:-(


I am so glad and thankful to be free from religion! Now I go to the Church of the Swimming Pool
and Book Club, and live in the Light
of Reason and the Good.

Daniel Wilcox