I have to address this tumult that makes itself known whenever atheism is mentioned. For five years, I’ve had some low lows and some high highs. Atheism had the least to do with it among all factors. Though, without doubt, atheism has become synonymous with my personal brand, and I’m sure that’s why it gathers disrepute in others’ minds.

To be clear, atheism is neither religion nor belief, and there are no rituals or functions required to fulfill any sort of membership dues. I am not obligated to speak to anyone, make any monetary contributions or revere any person or supernatural being. Furthermore, there is no holy book or other reading requirements, unless I choose to read for furtherance of my own knowledge. Recently, I’ve become interested in reading authors whom oppose atheism in various contexts. I believe this balances my biases as well as equips me for a rational debate (if I do get into one). Counter arguments may even change my mind on certain aspects of the subject.

More than dogma, “atheism” has really influenced me most, not in lack of belief, but in my system of thinking; in critical thought. If I do say so, I’ve become almost religious in approaching concepts from the opposite standpoint. This is extremely valuable for a creative person. You may not settle on one side or the other, but an original synergy emerges from thinking this way. As for the practicality, I’m still working on that. This is not to say I move back and forth between nonbelief and religiosity, it just means I use the atheist structure of argumentation by applying it to many concepts I come across.

Honestly, I don’t even think about religion (or atheism) for the most part of my day. Maybe now that I have an atheist website, it occupies my mind more, but that was a very deliberate choice. My project right now involves photography. I’d like to begin representing this system of thought through my photography. We’ll see how far I get.

Khalid.