Afterlife

I find it amusing how people who believe in an afterlife seriously believe in the existence of hell and are terribly afraid of making the fatal mistake that would send them to that damned place, and yet they always assume that their departed loved ones automatically go to heaven and are now looking down on them. At least that was what I was told as a kid - that people go to heaven when they die, no exceptions. I used to be creeped out thinking how my great-grandmother and great-grandfather can and do see my every move (even when I hide under a table, or a blanket, or when I turn off the lights). Creepy, but that's what an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent god supposedly does, and he allegedly listens to our thoughts too, though I don't see the point of constant monitoring when you already know what's going to happen.

Though I'm now convinced that there isn't an afterlife, I still go to the cemetery, usually on or soon after All Saints' Day, when faithful Filipinos flock to the graves of their deceased friends and relatives (a surreal blend of Catholicism and ancestor worship), but I do it mainly to make sure that my relatives' graves aren't being desecrated (I once caught people placing objects over my great-grandfather's grave marker). Call it sentimentality, but even when I am aware that dead people are not even capable of minding what goes on at their burial sites, I am squeamish about vandalizing gravestones and other memorials. We were all brought into this world without our consent, and the least we could do for everyone is to is give them the right to leave it in peace and with dignity. And graves are part of the send-off that we give to the departed. Whatever way they leave, they were, after all, part of our lives, part of our world.

I want to spare my family from stressful trips to the graveyard, so I am seriously considering alternatives to burial such as cremation, aquamation, even donating my body to science. It pays to plan ahead, before the loss of consciousness and the powerlessness that comes with non-existence sets in. Whatever way this body gives up its autonomy and ultimately returns its raw materials to the environment, it comforts me to think that it would make way for future generations to experience the universe and all its majesty (because as far as we know, the environment can only sustain a limited number of people). To be memorialized is a nice bonus and is probably the closest we would ever get to immortality. The irony is that we wouldn't even be aware of it as it happens.

Religion: None

"What is your religion?" asked the lady who was taking my details at a government office a few days ago.

Despite the strong temptation to go "Haroo! Haroo!" I said "None."

The man queuing behind me snickered. He must have thought I was an ignoramus and didn't know what the word meant and that I was supposed to have one. Guess what. I know exactly what religion is and have a pretty good idea of how it works, more than enough to make an informed decision not to have one.

The lady might have thought I was pulling a joke on her and studied me for a while as I kept a straight face. I was dead serious that I didn't have a religion. She tried again.

"Are you Catholic?"

"No," I said.

She looked at me like I just claimed to have been born in Mars. Or more like I just said that I eat humans and that I thought she looked very lean. She handed me back my form and told me to proceed to the next queue.

I got my needed government papers and left the place contemplating that if people are unaware of the existence of atheists and agnostics, then we sure have a long, long way to go. It is more likely that people are aware of atheists but unaware that atheism is not a religion, but that still means there is a huge amount of catching up to do in terms of education.

Ignorance breeds hatred, therefore it pays to know about different people. Especially when one lives in a country that is a melting pot of cultures. This may be a country where atheists are very outnumbered by religious people, but we atheists do exist and if one listens carefully enough, they would realize that we do have a voice.

I dare say that there are far more atheists in this country than those who are openly admitting their atheism, because I, even after becoming atheist, kept saying for a while that I was Catholic since I didn't formally resign from Roman Catholicism. I didn't always get the chance to explain that I am only a nominal Catholic and have long ceased to be convinced of Catholic doctrine, and people just love shortcuts, so they always assumed that I was religious. I grew tired of that, and I went from saying "I am Catholic, but..." to "I am not religious, but I'm technically a Catholic" (which is a little better, but as people love shortcuts, only the "Catholic" part stuck) to "I am atheist and I have no religion."

There are people who, for various reasons, are kept from being open about certain things, whether it's about their religious beliefs, political opinions, or sexuality, among others. We, the marginalized, the outnumbered, have reasonable wants and needs that cannot be catered to by society and the state if we do not take it upon ourselves to speak up and make our opinion count. We have a voice - we have to use it, and we have to use it well. We have a voice - we have to use it, and we have to use it well. It's about time that atheists make themselves heard.