Daemons


Disclaimer

The ancient Greek believed that within each person lay a voice. They called these voices Daemons. I think we would call them our consciousness, but I’d like to propose an alternative theory. I think these are our Gods.

Everything about us, our memories, our personality, our goals, our beliefs, our behaviors, are byproducts of our models of reality that we have created. Most of our model is constructed by our subconscious assimilating physical factors like gravity, light, textures, and so on. Our models are consciously changeable to the extent that our reason adheres to physical nature. (Insert fads like The Secret)

However, there is a way to bypass this “reason adhering to physical nature,” and that cheat code is the concept of God.

Without mudding the waters too much trying to define God, I’ll claim only that the word inspires an idea in all of us of an entity or something that transcends physical nature. For those who believe, they have at their disposal a tremendous power.

If they would dare listen to themselves, and ignore the Gods others offer them, they could create a God at harmony with themselves. Just try to imagine the fucking impact of accepting an idea of God that supports your true nature. How happy would that kind of person be? How motivated would that kind of person be? How powerful would that kind of person be? That kind of person could change the fucking world...given they believe in a God who cares about the outcome of this world.

And my mother fucking fellow atheists, we can do this too. Don’t let the word God scare you away. We’ve got a deeper, dormant part of ourselves we adamantly strain to keep asleep. Don’t shy away from unknown, mystical ideas. (Keep in mind that being atheist is to claim the same thing as any religious person, that you know what happens after death, that you know there is no God. Take a moment to let the irony waft over you. Be rational yet open-minded.)

I consider this idea of God to be the subconscious in a Platonic, Jungian, McKennain light; that I have within me a true and transcendent knowledge. I don’t know how to access this part of me at will and it seems to come in glimpses.

The point of this post is to claim that our ideas of this deeper part of us can be manipulated to give us the most happiness and power possible. There is no universal rule on how to do this, because we are all different. You have a voice in you head, a daemon. Get to know it. I think it has something to tell you.

(I can’t help but feel a twinge of shame after I finish one of these. They never turn out as profound as it feels in my mind. Suppose I should be proud I have the taste to tell I’m far from being “there.” Well, hope you enjoyed the chaos.)