On On Apr 24, 2025, at 00:59, Ermes Culos <eculos@hotmail.com> wrote:
Hi …
I tried to download what I think are samples of your work, but wasn't able to. It may well be because I am not familiar with the format you’re using. Maybe a hint on how to use it will help.
Meantime a comment on your thoughts.
Like you I find it hard to believe that a creator (if he exists at all) of so vast a universe would care in the least for someone like me. Having said this, it doesn’t matter all that much if he cares about me: what really matters, I think, is what people believe. At this moment I am thinking of my poor mother, whose earliest years (that included the years when I was growing up) were very hard, so hard that without a deep conviction in God and that our suffering in this life was part of God’s plan, and that we would be rewarded for it in the end; that without this conviction her life would have been totally unbearable. (Dostoevski’s chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” in Brothers Karamazov comes to mind here.) For my mother—and for countless other people—God was reality. Whether or not I myself believe in God is sort of irrelevant. The universe is so big, as you have demonstrated, that what goes on at its fringes we really don't know. What we do know—I think—is that in our little, very little, corner of this universe, what is real seems to be anything but an absolute: given thing A, people on its left will see it as true, people on its right will see it as false. This, possibly more than ever, seems to be the case—in matters of religion, in matters of sex, in matters of politics, and so on. Going back to God: the universe may well be infinite in time and space. I think there are philosophers who will tell us that in an infinite universe anything is possible, including an all-powerful being. So maybe the position of Pascal (I think he was the guy) is the right one to take.
My position is a little more earthy. We are not likely to end up in any sort of conventional paradise. In all my years of tending to my gardening and orchard if I have learned anything it is this: that flowers keep coming back, year after year, and better and better if they are tended well. The flowers come out in the springtime and later in the season they wilt and die. There is non pretence here at immortality, at least not at the individual level. (Though in a broader sense maybe there is.) We're not too terribly different from flowers: we may live a very short life, but during this short life we can draw and give quite a bit of pleasure.
As I said above, I haven’t been able to open your attachments, though I'm pretty sure that when I do get to open them, I will see some of your own blossoms.
All the best,
Ermes
Sent from my iPad
On Apr 23, 2025, at 02:35, wrote:
Ermes,
I was actually born a Catholic but at that time the Protestants and
Catholics were at war just across the water from where I grew up and
the troubles often spilt over to the mainland. Knowing little about
anything at the time, I still knew that these people could not be
following the doctrines of Jesus (who was by all accounts a decent
bloke).
The concept of gods or divinity has existed for a very long time.
Their stories and depictions have been passed down and reshaped over
generations. Recently, I read God: An Anatomy by Francesca
Stavrakopoulou—a work grounded in her academic background and deep
analysis of the Bible. The book paints a vivid portrait of a god with
strikingly human traits. Whether one believes or not, it's undeniable
that religion has had a profound social impact across centuries and
across the globe. Even today, around 85% of the world's population
identifies with some form of religion.
I can understand how the idea of gods emerged in the human mind and
how religions have provided a sense of identity, support, and
belonging. I also recognize the political power and influence many
religious institutions have amassed—the Catholic Church being one of
the most opulent and enduring examples.
I may have been born Catholic, but I’ve never believed in gods. To me,
they seem clearly like human inventions. I find it hard to comprehend
the idea of a god having a human form or speaking in human language.
From my perspective, we are insignificant creatures living on a tiny
rock we call Earth, orbiting an unremarkable star in a rather ordinary
solar system.
To put things in perspective:
In our galaxy (the Milky Way), there are estimated to be between 100
and 400 billion stars. Observations from the Kepler and Gaia missions
suggest that most of these stars have at least one planet. That means
there could be at least 100 billion planetary systems in the Milky Way
alone.
Beyond the Milky Way, the observable universe contains about 2
trillion galaxies. If each one had roughly 100 billion solar systems,
we’d be talking about some 200 sextillion solar systems—that's
200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. A number so vast it becomes almost
abstract.
And this only concerns the observable universe. The real universe
could be much larger—or even infinite—which would mean an even more
inconceivably large number of solar systems out there. We won't even
consider the concept of multiverse.
With all that in mind, I find it hard to believe in stories that are
so clearly human in origin. Of course, the problem is that you can’t
prove the non-existence of a god—just as I can’t prove the
non-existence of fairies. But as far as I know, despite all the
stories, there’s not a single piece of concrete evidence for their
existence either.
I hope this gives you a clearer picture of where I’m coming from.
Naturally, in a fair and just world, everyone should be free to
believe what they want—so long as their beliefs don’t infringe on the
rights of others. My intention isn’t to change anyone’s faith (which,
by definition, requires no proof), but simply to assert that I too
have the right to hold my own beliefs, based on reason and personal
judgment.
Continuing with the Catholic theme, the Pope seemed like a decent
person—he’s shown more tolerance toward homosexuals and even washed
the feet of AIDS patients in Argentina. Maybe meeting Doctor Death, JD
Vance, was what finally broke him. Still, the Catholic Church doesn’t
support gay marriage or the ordination of women. So it’s not an
institution I wish to be closely associated with.
I wish you well my friend whatever your belief may be. I would hazard
a guess that whatever either of us believe it will be a long way from
anything that could be called reality. As we are both running out of
time I suggest that we return to our walks and our stories, with our
imaginations hitching a ride alongside nature for those precious
moments that still remain before us.
Have a great day.
Hi Steve.
I tried to download what I think are samples of your work, but wasn't able to. It may well be because I am not familiar with the format you’re using. Maybe a hint on how to use it will help.
Meantime a comment on your thoughts.
Like you I find it hard to believe that a creator (if he exists at all) of so vast a universe would care in the least for someone like me. Having said this, it doesn’t matter all that much if he cares about me: what really matters, I think, is what people believe. At this moment I am thinking of my poor mother, whose earliest years (that included the years when I was growing up) were very hard, so hard that without a deep conviction in God and that our suffering in this life was part of God’s plan, and that we would be rewarded for it in the end; that without this conviction her life would have been totally unbearable. (Dostoevski’s chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” in Brothers Karamazov comes to mind here.) For my mother—and for countless other people—God was reality. Whether or not I myself believe in God is sort of irrelevant. The universe is so big, as you have demonstrated, that what goes on at its fringes we really don't know. What we do know—I think—is that in our little, very little, corner of this universe, what is real seems to be anything but an absolute: given thing A, people on its left will see it as true, people on its right will see it as false. This, possibly more than ever, seems to be the case—in matters of religion, in matters of sex, in matters of politics, and so on. Going back to God: the universe may well be infinite in time and space. I think there are philosophers who will tell us that in an infinite universe anything is possible, including an all-powerful being. So maybe the position of Pascal (I think he was the guy) is the right one to take.
My position is a little more earthy. We are not likely to end up in any sort of conventional paradise. In all my years of tending to my gardening and orchard if I have learned anything it is this: that flowers keep coming back, year after year, and better and better if they are tended well. The flowers come out in the springtime and later in the season they wilt and die. There is no pretence here at immortality, at least not at the individual level. (Though in a broader sense maybe there is.) We're not too terribly different from flowers: we may live a very short life, but during this short life we can draw and give quite a bit of pleasure.
As I said above, I haven’t been able to open your attachments, though I'm pretty sure that when I do get to open them, I will see some of your own blossoms.
All the best,
Ermes
Sent from my iPad
On Apr 23, 2025, at 02:35, stephen preece <stephen.preece@gmail.com> wrote:
Ermes,
I was actually born a Catholic but at that time the Protestants and
Catholics were at war just across the water from where I grew up and
the troubles often spilt over to the mainland. Knowing little about
anything at the time, I still knew that these people could not be
following the doctrines of Jesus (who was by all accounts a decent
bloke).
The concept of gods or divinity has existed for a very long time.
Their stories and depictions have been passed down and reshaped over
generations. Recently, I read God: An Anatomy by Francesca
Stavrakopoulou—a work grounded in her academic background and deep
analysis of the Bible. The book paints a vivid portrait of a god with
strikingly human traits. Whether one believes or not, it's undeniable
that religion has had a profound social impact across centuries and
across the globe. Even today, around 85% of the world's population
identifies with some form of religion.
I can understand how the idea of gods emerged in the human mind and
how religions have provided a sense of identity, support, and
belonging. I also recognize the political power and influence many
religious institutions have amassed—the Catholic Church being one of
the most opulent and enduring examples.
I may have been born Catholic, but I’ve never believed in gods. To me,
they seem clearly like human inventions. I find it hard to comprehend
the idea of a god having a human form or speaking in human language.
From my perspective, we are insignificant creatures living on a tiny
rock we call Earth, orbiting an unremarkable star in a rather ordinary
solar system.
To put things in perspective:
In our galaxy (the Milky Way), there are estimated to be between 100
and 400 billion stars. Observations from the Kepler and Gaia missions
suggest that most of these stars have at least one planet. That means
there could be at least 100 billion planetary systems in the Milky Way
alone.
Beyond the Milky Way, the observable universe contains about 2
trillion galaxies. If each one had roughly 100 billion solar systems,
we’d be talking about some 200 sextillion solar systems—that's
200,000, On Apr 24, 2025, at 00:59, Ermes Culos <eculos@hotmail.com> wrote:
Hi Steve.
I tried to download what I think are samples of your work, but wasn't able to. It may well be because I am not familiar with the format you’re using. Maybe a hint on how to use it will help.
Meantime a comment on your thoughts.
Like you I find it hard to believe that a creator (if he exists at all) of so vast a universe would care in the least for someone like me. Having said this, it doesn’t matter all that much if he cares about me: what really matters, I think, is what people believe. At this moment I am thinking of my poor mother, whose earliest years (that included the years when I was growing up) were very hard, so hard that without a deep conviction in God and that our suffering in this life was part of God’s plan, and that we would be rewarded for it in the end; that without this conviction her life would have been totally unbearable. (Dostoevski’s chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” in Brothers Karamazov comes to mind here.) For my mother—and for countless other people—God was reality. Whether or not I myself believe in God is sort of irrelevant. The universe is so big, as you have demonstrated, that what goes on at its fringes we really don't know. What we do know—I think—is that in our little, very little, corner of this universe, what is real seems to be anything but an absolute: given thing A, people on its left will see it as true, people on its right will see it as false. This, possibly more than ever, seems to be the case—in matters of religion, in matters of sex, in matters of politics, and so on. Going back to God: the universe may well be infinite in time and space. I think there are philosophers who will tell us that in an infinite universe anything is possible, including an all-powerful being. So maybe the position of Pascal (I think he was the guy) is the right one to take.
My position is a little more earthy. We are not likely to end up in any sort of conventional paradise. In all my years of tending to my gardening and orchard if I have learned anything it is this: that flowers keep coming back, year after year, and better and better if they are tended well. The flowers come out in the springtime and later in the season they wilt and die. There is no pretence here at immortality, at least not at the individual level. (Though in a broader sense maybe there is.) We're not too terribly different from flowers: we may live a very short life, but during this short life we can draw and give quite a bit of pleasure.
As I said above, I haven’t been able to open your attachments, though I'm pretty sure that when I do get to open them, I will see some of your own blossoms.
All the best,
Ermes,000,000,000,000,000. A number so vast it becomes almost
abstract.
And this only concerns the observable universe. The real universe
could be much larger—or even infinite—which would mean an even more
inconceivably large number of solar systems out there. We won't even
consider the concept of Hi Steve.
I tried to download what I think are samples of your work, but wasn't able to. It may well be because I am not familiar with the format you’re using. Maybe a hint on how to use it will help.
Meantime a comment on your thoughts.
Like you I find it hard to believe that a creator (if he exists at all) of so vast a universe would care in the least for someone like me. Having said this, it doesn’t matter all that much if he cares about me: what really matters, I think, is what people believe. At this moment I am thinking of my poor mother, whose earliest years (that included the years when I was growing up) were very hard, so hard that without a deep conviction in God and that our suffering in this life was part of God’s plan, and that we would be rewarded for it in the end; that without this conviction her life would have been totally unbearable. (Dostoevski’s chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” in Brothers Karamazov comes to mind here.) For my mother—and for countless other people—God was reality. Whether or not I myself believe in God is sort of irrelevant. The universe is so big, as you have demonstrated, that what goes on at its fringes we really don't know. What we do know—I think—is that in our little, very little, corner of this universe, what is real seems to be anything but an absolute: given thing A, people on its left will see it as true, people on its right will see it as false. This, possibly more than ever, seems to be the case—in matters of religion, in matters of sex, in matters of politics, and so on. Going back to God: the universe may well be infinite in time and space. I think there are philosophers who will tell us that in an infinite universe anything is possible, including an all-powerful being. So maybe the position of Pascal (I think he was the guy) is the right one to take.
My position is a little more earthy. We are not likely to end up in any sort of conventional paradise. In all my years of tending to my gardening and orchard if I have learned anything it is this: that flowers keep coming back, year after year, and better and better if they are tended well. The flowers come out in the springtime and later in the season they wilt and die. There is non pretence here at immortality, at least not at the individual level. (Though in a broader sense maybe there is.) We're not too terribly different from flowers: we may live a very short life, but during this short life we can draw and give quite a bit of pleasure.
As I said above, I haven’t been able to open your attachments, though I'm pretty sure that when I do get to open them, I will see some of your own blossoms.
All the best,
Ermes
With all that in mind, I find it hard to believe in stories that are
so clearly human in origin. Of course, the problem is that you can’t
prove the non-existence of a god—just as I can’t prove the
non-existence of fairies. But as far as I know, despite all the
stories, there’s not a single piece of concrete evidence for their
existence either.
I hope this gives you a clearer picture of where I’m coming from.
Naturally, in a fair and just world, everyone should be free to
believe what they want—so long as their beliefs don’t infringe on the
rights of others. My intention isn’t to change anyone’s faith (which,
by definition, requires no proof), but simply to assert that I too
have the right to hold my own beliefs, based on reason and personal
judgment.
Continuing with the Catholic theme, the Pope seemed like a decent
person—he’s shown more tolerance toward homosexuals and even washed
the feet of AIDS patients in Argentina. Maybe meeting Doctor Death, JD
Vance, was what finally broke him. Still, the Catholic Church doesn’t
support gay marriage or the ordination of women. So it’s not an
institution I wish to be closely associated with.
I wish you well my friend whatever your belief may be. I would hazard
a guess that whatever either of us believe it will be a long way from
anything that could be called reality. As we are both running out of
time I suggest that we return to our walks and our stories, with our
imaginations hitching a ride alongside nature for those precious
moments that still remain before us.
Have a great day!
Ps Here is what I am upto when not cleaning streets or writing
garbage. I feel, strangely perhaps, more alive when I draw. What do
you feel when you write? 24, 2025, at 00:59, Ermes Culos <eculos@hotmail.com> wrote:
Hi Steve.
I tried to download what I think are samples of your work, but wasn't able to. It may well be because I am not familiar with the format you’re using. Maybe a hint on how to use it will help.
Meantime a comment on your thoughts.
Like you I find it hard to believe that a creator (if he exists at all) of so vast a universe would care in the least for someone like me. Having said this, it doesn’t matter all that much if he cares about me: what really matters, I think, is what people believe. At this moment I am thinking of my poor mother, whose earliest years (that included the years when I was growing up) were very hard, so hard that without a deep conviction in God and that our suffering in this life was part of God’s plan, and that we would be rewarded for it in the end; that without this conviction her life would have been totally unbearable. (Dostoevski’s chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” in Brothers Karamazov comes to mind here.) For my mother—and for countless other people—God was reality. Whether or not I myself believe in God is sort of irrelevant. The universe is so big, as you have demonstrated, that what goes on at its fringes we really don't know. What we do know—I think—is that in our little, very little, corner of this universe, what is real seems to be anything but an absolute: given thing A, people on its left will see it as true, people on its right will see it as false. This, possibly more than ever, seems to be the case—in matters of religion, in matters of sex, in matters of politics, and so on. Going back to God: the universe may well be infinite in time and space. I think there are philosophers who will tell us that in an infinite universe anything is possible, including an all-powerful being. So maybe the position of Pascal (I think he was the guy) is the right one to take.
My position is a little more earthy. We are not likely to end up in any sort of conventional paradise. In all my years of tending to my gardening and orchard if I have learned anything it is this: that flowers keep coming back, year after year, and better and better if they are tended well. The flowers come out in the springtime and later in the season they wilt and die. There is no pretence here at immortality, at least not at the individual level. (Though in a broader sense maybe there is.) We're not too terribly different from flowers: we may live a very short life, but during this short life we can draw and give quite a bit of pleasure.
As I said above, I haven’t been able to open your attachments, though I'm pretty sure that when I do get to open them, I will see some of your own blossoms.
All the best,
Ermes
Sent from my iPad
On Apr 23, 2025, at 02:35, stephen preece <stephen.preece@gmail.com> wrote:
Ermes,
I was actually born a Catholic but at that time the Protestants and
Catholics were at war just across the water from where I grew up and
the troubles often spilt over to the mainland. Knowing little about
anything at the time, I still knew that these people could not be
following the doctrines of Jesus (who was by all accounts a decent
bloke).
The concept of gods or divinity has existed for a very long time.
Their stories and depictions have been passed down and reshaped over
generations. Recently, I read God: An Anatomy by Francesca
Stavrakopoulou—a work grounded in her academic background and deep
analysis of the Bible. The book paints a vivid portrait of a god with
strikingly human traits. Whether one believes or not, it's undeniable
that religion has had a profound social impact across centuries and
across the globe. Even today, around 85% of the world's population
identifies with some form of religion.
I can understand how the idea of gods emerged in the human mind and
how religions have provided a sense of identity, support, and
belonging. I also recognize the political power and influence many
religious institutions have amassed—the Catholic Church being one of
the most opulent and enduring examples.
I may have been born Catholic, but I’ve never believed in gods. To me,
they seem clearly like human inventions. I find it hard to comprehend
the idea of a god having a human form or speaking in human language.
From my perspective, we are insignificant creatures living on a tiny
rock we call Earth, orbiting an unremarkable star in a rather ordinary
solar system.
To put things in perspective:
In our galaxy (the Milky Way), there are estimated to be between 100
and 400 billion stars. Observations from the Kepler and Gaia missions
suggest that most of these stars have at least one planet. That means
there could be at least 100 billion planetary systems in the Milky Way
alone.
Beyond the Milky Way, the observable universe contains about 2
trillion galaxies. If each one had roughly 100 billion solar systems,
we’d be talking about some 200 sextillion solar systems—that's
200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. A number so vast it becomes almost
abstract.
And this only concerns the observable universe. The real universe
could be much larger—or even infinite—which would mean an even more
inconceivably large number of solar systems out there. We won't even
consider the concept of multiverse.
With all that in mind, I find it hard to believe in stories that are
so clearly human in origin. Of course, the problem is that you can’t
prove the non-existence of a god—just as I can’t prove the
non-existence of fairies. But as far as I know, despite all the
stories, there’s not a single piece of concrete evidence for their
existence either.
I hope this gives you a clearer picture of where I’m coming from.
Naturally, in a fair and just world, everyone should be free to
believe what they want—so long as their beliefs don’t infringe on the
rights of others. My intention isn’t to change anyone’s faith (which,
by definition, requires no proof), but simply to assert that I too
have the right to hold my own beliefs, based on reason and personal
judgment.
Continuing with the Catholic theme, the Pope seemed like a decent
person—he’s shown more tolerance toward homosexuals and even washed
the feet of AIDS patients in Argentina. Maybe meeting Doctor Death, JD
Vance, was what finally broke him. Still, the Catholic Church doesn’t
support gay marriage or the ordination of women. So it’s not an
institution I wish to be closely associated with.
I wish you well my friend whatever your belief may be. I would hazard
a guess that whatever either of us believe it will be a long way from
anything that could be called reality. As we are both running out of
time I suggest that we return to our walks and our stories, with our
imaginations hitching a ride alongside nature for those precious
moments that still remain before us.
Have a great day!
Ps Here is what I am upto when not cleaning streets or writing
garbage. I feel, strangely perhaps, more alive when I draw. What do
you feel when you write?
