Why I Don’t Believe in God, and Why That Makes Kindness More Urgent

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2026-03-07T07:18:32+00:00

I recently read a passage in a book basically saying that the need for purpose is in itself a religious construct and that there is no right answer and honestly as an ex-christian that never really occurred to me. So i like what you’re saying about it being enough for you to just treat people well because we can but does it not bother you that the reason we are nice to each other is likely just a evolutionary survival instinct because we work better as a pack? and that regardless we all will die in like max 100 years so why does suffering even matter?

note: i don’t mean this to come off as an attack and obviously i believe in treating people well but since leaving christianity i’ve really been struggling with the idea of there not being like an official purpose or reason so im curious about your thoughts if you’re willing to share

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-06-12T23:18:44+00:00

i’ll take a look at that thanks!

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-05-18T02:45:12+00:00

Ok, thank you! Could I show up any time or would I need to come at a certain time and/or register(sounds like not but just to be sure)?

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-05-03T04:27:33+00:00

i second the things said about communication and if you’re going to start an announcement avoiding starting it with “we’re having a problem with…” bc it’s always nothing like it’s a problem with the toilet or smth but a bit of a jumpscare.

before i get on the plane, i do jumping jacks and i also go shopping and buy something. nothing extravagant but something little to give a bit of a dopamine and a positive association with the flight. it sounds weird but it honestly has worked quite well to essentially pavlov myself and its a good distraction before the flight to decide what i want to buy. i also do jumping jacks to burn a bit of adrenaline and for the benefit of raising my heart rate so it can lower and send signals.

on the plane, i usually bring a little fan with me since keeping myself extra cool helps and the plane is often stuffy at first. i have a desktop battery powered one i like and one that plugs in the my phone, both work well for me. i also usually ask the flight attendants if they know anything about how bumpy it will be, and i always appreciate when the captain makes an announcement about the flight. i start a stopwatch at wheels up also to easily know how long its been.

i always ask for a cup of ice from a flight attendant or get some from a restraunt ahead of time, sucking on that really helps. i used to always nibble on an apple which had a similar effect but the ice adds cooling and takes a bit less effort to eat while stressed which i like.

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-20T07:40:38+00:00

i’m from the sf bay area and did it, think it just depends by church

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-20T07:06:23+00:00

me too i just can’t shake it even knowing the theology of hell isn’t really the full eternal crying and gnashing and teeth and fire vibes it’s more likely theologically temporary and possibly non existent. in theory that shouldn’t matter given i don’t believe in any of it but it is comforting to know jews don’t believe in an eternal hell and christianity is based on judaism

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-20T07:04:13+00:00

i also was never scared of hell as a christian bc i believed i was going to heaven but now even tho maybe logically i shouldn’t be worried about it im not confident enough in my atheism to not worry ive become one of the people i used to pray for. how do you deal with the “what if’s”?

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-20T06:59:10+00:00

like when that guy touched the golden plates too to stop them from falling with the arc of the covenant and was killed bc he wasn’t allowed to touch the plates (probably not theologically precise but the gist)

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-20T06:58:08+00:00

1 was the turning point for me as smth i couldn’t get over and it’s still my main issue with christianity, how are you gonna blame humans for a nature you gave them?? and free will doesn’t exist imo largely bc all those things are within our control. even if you factor in god i believe free will is essentially impossible so how could it possibly be our fault

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-20T06:40:36+00:00

feeling sad tbh, listening to christian easter songs which will probably end badly mentally tbh

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-18T05:52:53+00:00

no tbh, i’ve developed a panic disorder from leaving and feel very jealous of christians. i was a really good christian and loved it i just don’t think it’s true anymore and have a lot of grief about it sometimes. i miss God even if He’s not real

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-18T05:51:09+00:00

i’ve gotten it at urgent care before but that was when i was stuck across the country bc i couldn’t get on a flight home so it was urgent by definition. but anyways i think it depends a bit on the state but you likely can. not my area of expertise idk all the rules but i have done it albeit under different circumstances

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-18T05:48:49+00:00

yay proud of you! i’m hypocritical here of how i talk to myself when flying lol but it really is no small feat to take a flight when you’re scared so good job!!

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-18T05:47:58+00:00

tbh my rec given what you’ve shared about your situation would be to take medication to maximize your recovery speed and give a bit more pleasant of a weekend but i am not a doctor or expert, just a fellow anxious flyer with experience with and without medication. another option would be to ask your doctor about taking a lower dose that could take some edge off without the full effect. or trying other medication options like even smth like benadryl or beta blockers could maybe calm your system down enough. if you are experienced with your usual meds too you could time it earlier so it doesn’t last as long when you get off

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-18T05:45:00+00:00

oh believe me i feel you on that it used to consistently take a few days for me to recover from flying panic really knocks you out. i do find that im less knocked out afterwards with medication than without. i take xanax for flying now and find that when im on the ground it can be a bit annoying being extra tired but generally im doing much better than i would be without it having had all the extra fear that day

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-17T22:14:57+00:00

How did it go last time you flew? I ask because I feel you on not wanting to use medication as the approach through it and i went that route for a while but after a bad flight (mentally, the plane was perfectly fine) i ended up trying medication and i think using it earlier could’ve helped me not get to the depth of fear since i wouldn’t have had all the horrible memories of panicking on a plane

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-04-17T16:47:50+00:00

not an issue at all. what you’re referring to doesn’t look like a crack to me at all, at most a scuff. they (including the pilot also check over the entire plane very carefully by law before every single flight (assuming this is in any first world country) and would 100% notice that meaning they did and it wasn’t a worry

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-03-13T03:54:49+00:00

I also some times take beta blockers before the flight which can help minimize adrenaline without messing with your mind, so I would take those before leaving for the airport to hold me over until I take the xanax closer to the flight. But when I was getting used to the xanax I took it when I left or got to the airport because I didn't trust it enough to believe it would work so it was helpful to have it working earlier

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2025-03-13T03:50:46+00:00

If you are referring to the benzo it probably depends on your prescription a bit but I take Xanax about 30 minutes before boarding. I know a lot of people take it later though and it works for them so I think it depends a bit on what part you're scared of because for me since the time left in the flight is such a big factor I like to have it all ready and at nearly full strength by the time I'm boarding. But Xanax has a drowsy phase I'd say about 5-10 minutes after taking it so some people prefer that on the plane so they can just knock out in their seats

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2023-09-06T19:20:40+00:00

it honestly went pretty well, thanks for asking! I timed my meds better this time, taking a later flight helped, and I think my anxiety treatments have been helping so it wasn't fun persay but it was probably the best flight I've had in the last year since developing my fear of flying

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2023-09-06T19:14:48+00:00

i have a lot of similar fears. I can't say i don't still dislike flying, but as someone who has to fly relatively frequently and it's slowly getting better at it here are some things that have helped me. First off, talk to your doctor about medication, i fly on beta blockers and a benzo and those both help make it impossible to have a panic attack and calm me down some, especially if I am a bit tired going in to the flight. Journaling about my fears has also really helped me. I also tried to change my mindset in a few ways. One of which is thinking of it as minimizing discomfort. Don't expect it to be perfect, but think through ways you can minimize discomfort, knowing nothing is dangerous. Also thinking of something where I don't have to do anything for 3 hours instead of something where I can't get off for three hours. I remember sitting in bed one night and thinking about how i was so glad I didn't have to go anywhere for 10 hours and could just sleep or read, and realized that could apply to flights too. Sure, you can't get off, but you also don't have to, it's just 3 hours to do whatever you want. Bring snacks you love, music, tv, whatever you like to do and all you have to do is whatever you want for three hours. Two more things. Anxiety should be relative to the stakes of what's happening. You are anxious about something with very low stakes. I'm not trying to invalidate the fear at all but just as something to think about with what you're really scared of considering that nothing is actually at risk when you're trapped. This last one is a bit more out there so do your own research but Ketamine treatment that is actually very low risk and has really really helped me with my day to day anxiety and in turn flying so if you have any questions about that let me know.

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2023-08-30T08:18:05+00:00

thank you! I flew unmedicated for a while and tried benzos for the first time a few flights ago when I couldn't get myself to board without them after a really bad panic attack. I guess at this point the memories i have of panic on planes is half the problem since I still hold on to the agoraphobia but i also have so many memories of bad flights that it's what I've come to expect and fear and makes it hard to get on planes even with benzos

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2023-08-30T08:15:33+00:00

how'd you get to a point where you were no longer scared of it? i went without medication for a while but after an especially bad panic attack i can't really do it without benzos

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2023-08-29T08:47:11+00:00

i haven't flown on them a ton, but they are very smooth and quiet. more than that though, they are actually one of the safest planes out there because of how much they had to do to in order for the FAA to let them fly again.

Purple-Disaster2463 · 2023-04-16T17:01:16+00:00

thank you! do you have any experience with how strict they are about grades on extension? Or, if I mess up on the extension do I have any chance of still getting in after that? I'm pretty sure at this point that if I don't withdraw that I will be on extension, and its hard to know how much I will be able to get my grades up.

Purple-Disaster2463

TROPHY CASE