What Matters Most?

When I want to tell people what I believe without getting into it, I just tell them I'm an atheist. When I want to get more in depth I explain that there may or may not be something out there (probably there is), but it's something that I can't possibly understand so I don't attempt to please it or assume that it has any involvement in my life. Whether or not there is some higher power, I would live my life in the exact same way that I do now.

I find that most religious systems distract people with promises of the afterlife and attempt to bribe them with said promises. I'm more concerned with the way I live my life and the effects it will have on those around me in the here and now. I try to have a positive impact in a way where I can be at peace with myself and my environment. I suppose I'm more Buddhist than anything, but really, I'm just what I am. I'm less concerned with faith, and more concerned with truth. I could care less if my beliefs have a name or if other people choose to believe the same thing. I expect other people to have their own beliefs and I can respect that our spiritual needs are all different (as we are all different people).

One thing I can't take though, are the people who go through the prescribed motions, "Just in case." If you don't believe, then you don't believe, but I'm pretty sure you're not going to trick god, or whoever just by going to church on occasion. This is the highest form of hypocrisy.