You have no need to understand or affirm me as I have no need to understand or affirm you but I offer this for your interest - or not. I don't think I could be any stronger in my humanistic view That is: A system of thought that rejects religious beliefs and centers on humans and their values, capacities, and worth. except to say that I mingle that with a strong spirituality which keeps me at peace with who I am and what I will become. The working definition of spiritually under which I operate is "one's undestanding of the structure of everything, one's place in it, and how one relates to that place." I have had experiences that keep me deeply respectful and cognizant of my place in everything, that have had little to do with whether or not I believed in a creator or deity at the time. I believe that it is possible to matain that awareness of the everything without a necessary entity as mediator or facilitator. " Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others, aspects of #life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world, without necessarily accepting belief in a supernatural reality or divine being. " - Wikipedia What about an after#life? No, I don't believe in that. But then what’s the meaning of #life? The meaning of #life is in the living of it. I can not live my #life purely on the basis that I will have a better one when I die! That's a cop out for this #life. What I do now- I do for me and for you - not for a later reward! As I have lived I have developed a spiritual bond to people, places and things. I cannot believe in God, gods, a seen or unseen supreme being, or even an indifferent force, simply because when I arrive at the point where reason ends and faith begins, I cannot make the leap -- I simply stop, take a look around and believe there is nothing there. But I feel the web of #life in myself and I respond to it in other living and inanimate beings. No one taught me to be on the look out for this bond, and I don't have a name for it -- in fact, I think naming it would limit its range for me. What a pleasure it is to be a small part of everything we know or dream about. Yes, indeed, I believe there is a spiritual bond to our existence that had no beginning, was the work of no entity other than existence itself, and has, I hope, no end. I personally don't believe in a Christian, Islamic, or Judaic version of a God. But I believe that there is something more powerful out there causing the world to happen. I believe that #life as a collective just continues and keeps on the fight for survival, causing the awe inspiring spectacle of nature. I believe that the universe functions as its own entity and drives the spreading of space. I see the whole just as collective of all the individual parts that comprise it, rather than being run by an omnipotent, omnipresent being. Nature as a single entity is awe inspiring, comprised of all creatures fighting for survival or land that has existed for many years beyond my own comprehension. To look up at the stars and see the horizon of our own galaxy is amazing, and to look out upon the universe. That's what I believe in. I believe that I'm part of something greater than myself, and I find comfort with that. There are mysterys in this amazing universe that our very simple minds will never fathom. Far more mysterious than the symplisitc answer of a GOD that we come up with as an answer. I like the idea of Jainism - if I simply had to choose a religion/ dogma- although it flies in the face of spiritualism and would be a choice between lions den and #life! Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live lives of harmlessness and renunciation. The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the health of the universe itself. Jains believe that animals and plants, as well as human beings, contain living souls. Each of these souls is considered of equal value and should be treated with respect and compassion. Jains are strict vegetarians and live in a way that minimises their use of the world's resources. Jains believe in reincarnation and seek to attain ultimate liberation - which means escaping the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth so that the immortal soul lives for ever in a state of bliss. Liberation is achieved by eliminating all karma from the soul. Jainism is a religion of self-help. There are no gods or spiritual beings that will help human beings. The three guiding principles of Jainism, the 'three jewels', are right belief, right knowledge and right conduct.