MY ATHEIST HOPE

Saying that a hope can be curated which does not rely on any extra-terrestrial deity or to say, a God, is not just an exaggeration. It is an utmost sincere statement which I and many other atheists and at times theists make. 

Hope, in its most basic is a belief that everything in the end is going to be fine. There were different instances in the human history when the human society has collectively hoped. Yes, these times come once in a lifetime of some humans. 

First of all, When European sailors found new lands in the east and west (India and America), it ushered an era of hope for the west and may be for the whole world. Why do I say so? I say so because just imagine, what would have happened if they would not have found the new routes? A strong Pan-Islam in the world would have traded. Arab traders had already come to south of India. First ever in the history, man tried to find ways for his own self-interest rather than a religion inspired overtone of extending the empire of God or Allah. Even if we see a reactionary movement in India or elsewhere, it would have been a religion inspired to and fro which would have always evoked rationale of the other world and man would have been caught in the ever-pervasive cycle of God and its fallacious empire. 

Second, is when Industrial revolution generated never imagined profits in the industrial streets of England. this then, they tried to export out to the other worlds. This may have been inspired by religion but now this is again debatable. Max Weber, in his book, "The Protestant ethic and the rise of Capitalism", asserts that the rise of capitalism is actually in the backdrop of the Protestant movement that ushered in Christianity. For the first time, Man questioned the authorities of the Christian Church and it's so called loving God. In fact, it would not be exaggeration to say that Man was smothered by this Oppressive love of God, which controlled the destiny of Man. Protestantism, in fact, keeping the god authority intact, snatched man's destiny from God. No Pre-destination please. No pre-determined world. We want a world where man has a free agency to take care of his own life. 

Third, and the unfinished, is the Communist dream, The dream to lift the man's oppression of other men. A dream, a hope and a utopia as the critique of it call it. I assert that these three are the ultimate events of enlightenment project. A project which made man the master of his own destiny. Happiness and sadness are in hands of man. Communist hope, or which I like to call, an atheist hope is what I want to expand upon. A hope which once is echoed in the writings of Bhagat Singh. On what this hope stands? What do you think? Why a man like Bhagat Singh rejects God even on the face of death? I claim I understand him. It is not because he is a devout atheist, and he has to prove a point. 

It is because, the base of this atheist hope is Despair. From a pure common sense, what is in excess since man has dreamt of complete liberation from oppression? It is precisely lack of hope. Despair surrounds man since time immemorial. It will not be an over saying to claim that Despair has the status of God for humans. In this scenario why cannot Man think that there is hope because I am. Everything is wrong but still I am alive. Till the point, he is alive, there is hope. Hope in this background of despair, I claim, is more powerful than the god hope that religious people claim. I claim, not only is religious hope false, but it is also weak because, it is dialectically incomplete. 

Religious hope is simply, there is some cosmic meaning which will help him in his favor. But, what if it doesn't. What if your God has plans where the global good is against your personal good? Can you sacrifice your personal good for the global good? there, it starts numerous loops of different interpretations of religious hope, but I claim, in all these, there is this dialectical incompletion.

Whereas, my atheist hope is precisely, everything is fucked up, but I am alive and hence there is a hope I thrive. You can argue that what if you die? I say, good, then I will not have hope. But why would I need Hope, if I am dead? You see, it is complete in its reason. What if I cannot thrive? Fuck it, everything was already fucked up. Why bother, what new happened if despair won over me? Nothing new, it was in majority. But, If I won, even once, this will be an ultimate victory. 

I claim, Atheism has hope. This hope. This hope is enough. This helps me thrive. Sometimes even better than the so-called religious cunts.