As you read this, why not pretend that I am Andy Rooney of Sixty Minutes. I realize that I am not Andy, however I do know that most of you have reserved a soft spot for his observations, even when he confronted your choices or actions in life. I would like you to temporarily allow me to reside in that soft spot. I don’t think Andy will mind.

I no longer have health or strength required to maintain this blog, so, like my grandfather who retired at seventy from his “active” pursuit of Atheist goals, I am doing the same. Today I turn 70. My grandfather went on to live to 97. I believe his longevity had a lot to do with the fact that he quit banging his head against a wall made of bricks – not of clay – but of cognitive dissonance*. People do not want to know what they don't know if it means they have to reject a prior belief.

He also believed that as you aged, acceptance for your discoveries and comments were relegated into society's waste bin as the idle musings of an old fart. It didn’t matter how much knowledge you had accumulated over your lifetime, society's needs and passions had passed you by.

He also opined that societies tend to worship wealth and if one is not about to show off their wealth, they know nothing of value. After all, most people worship wealth. For many years he coached a friend how to make violins. His friend was already relatively wealthy, and enjoyed a high profile in our community. As a result, that friend became accepted as an expert in making violins although he never managed to construct a good sounding violin. He wouldn’t give my grandfather credit for having taught him, and worse still, he would not admit that he had not followed all the lessons. Some members of our community even insist that he taught my grandfather how to make violins.

Years ago I published Kid Cash which attempted to teach parents how to teach children how to manage money. I would have been more successful if I taught children how to make more money! Mind you, I could hope that the flash-in-the-pan financial gurus handing out advice to our young people did not take their own advice in light of the recent economic failures. You know the ones I mean, the Rich Dad series etc. But, I won't!

In writing Kid Cash I failed to recognize an important statistic. Ninety percent of the parents did not know how to manage money themselves and did not want any one pointing that out.

I admit that without being affected by opiates of the masses, namely the need for possessions; my views and observations are made through my particular coloured glasses. For example, I do not have a cell phone or an Ipod. I don’t need them. I conduct my life so that a cell phone is not required and I continue to be stimulated by my observations of the world around me. The only computer game I play is Prairie Scramble. It is an excellent game requiring perceptivity, knowledge of language and typing skills. Most people today don’t like it because they can’t type well enough.

I finished reading a book today. It is the best book I have read in my life. It provides the insight into what forces created the world in which I live. I am thankful to Ronald Wright for writing What is America? I plan to give copies of it as gifts. I would like to have written the book, especially when I was younger and could have withstood the onslaught that I believe awaits Wright from angry US Americans – and Canadians – as he dispels, with proof, many of North America’s cherished myths. Also, even though he couldn’t have learned it from my grandfather, he observes one of my grandfather’s rules: “Don't criticize anything until you have created a valid solution.”

I believed I had developed a solution for the Atheist community. Atheists have been bickering among themselves for at least 2,500 years – mostly about how they should react to the treatment they were receiving from the other guys. For various reasons, Atheists never addressed the need for an organized, cohesive atheist society for their children, their families and their older citizens – one in which they could celebrate the solstices and equinoxes for what they were, not what religions made of them – Christmas, St. John The Baptist Day, Easter and more than 50 other religious celebrations that religions used to commercialize real solar events. Atheists also needed a voice, not of reason for they had that, rather one of numbers if they were ever to overcome the religious juggernaut .

My solution was to create a model for such an organization. I was open to other contributions, criticisms and observations. The only feedback I received was from the more outrageous atheists and the "do nothings"! On a positive note, pastors and preachers used it often as a basis for their sermons. You can see it at www.milesians.net

I will be transferring www.withoutgods.com over to my Milesian site at the end of November where my previous postings will be available. If you haven't read them yet, you might like to look into them. They are listed on the left. I will keep this domain for another four years, or if a like-minded Atheist wants to continue with it, I will transfer it to them.

Thank you for your indulgence of this old Fart. He has enjoyed this episode in what has been an episodic life! And now, on to the next chapter!

Posted November 18, 2008