What would you rather have: more truth or more happiness? I am sure most of you will immediately think this is a false dichotomy and that these two concepts are linked. The more truth you acquire, the more you will be able to make decisions that lead to more happiness, right?

Well, this may be right, but is not necessarily so. I listen to and read a fair amount of atheist shows and articles. This has been one of the most informative ways of pointing out flaws in my thinking and inconsistencies in my beliefs. The biggest thing I have learned from doing this is that atheism is very logical and based on truth at all costs. This I greatly respect. I have seriously considered becoming an atheist in the past for this very reason. Atheists don’t appeal to belief without evidence, tradition, or personal feelings. And nor do I.

However, one thing I have decided recently for myself (and I really knew this all along, but had never really thought upon it), is that I am not interested in atheism even if it had the highest possibility of being true, unless it offers some better hope of eternal life by doing so. This was a shocking realization and one I tried to get rid of initially. However, I now realize that I am definitely more interested in happiness than truth and not ashamed about that. Really, everyone else is as well, even if some don’t want to admit it, because it sounds more noble to be a “truth-seeker.”

Now, having said that, let me quickly add that, for the most part, I believe these two concepts are directly aligned. That is, the more truth you know, the more happiness you will be able to attain. However, the difficulty with truth is that it is very hard if not impossible to know anything with 100% certainty except for our own existence. Furthermore, when I say I am more interested in happiness than truth, I am principally referring to only one area, that of the afterlife. Unless I knew with 100% certainty that there was no afterlife or that nothing I did in this life would affect it, I am going to believe in some religion, philosophy, or metaphysical concept that does offer this possibility. The question is not what is the most logical position, but rather what is the most logical position among the positions that offer hope of an afterlife based on what I do here and now. I am not implying here that atheism is the most logical position, only that even if it was so, I still don’t think I would be interested.

I am sure any atheist reading this will be absolutely disgusted at this point. But I want to challenge that reaction. I am living for total consciousness forever, which I believe will bring ultimate personal fulfillment or happiness. I am sure you are living for ultimate personal fulfillment as well.

If I was in great health and expected to maintain that, I would consider atheism as a potentially logical belief that freed my from possible constraints imposed by religion. However, I am not, and though I will live the healthiest life I can, I don’t ever expect to be in really great health. So, by default, unless the truth of atheism could be shown with 100% certainty, it is not even an option.

Let me expound on this a bit. I have kyphoscoliosis, which is a 3-dimensional spinal deformity. It is not as severe as many others, but it has caused immense pain and feelings of inferiority, and has limited my career choices. Now if I did not have this deformity, it is possible I would be extremely skeptical of anything outside of mainstream medicine. I still am skeptical of anything outside mainstream medicine, but not extremely so. Why? Because even though I believe the best science supports conventional medicine, at this point there is not a whole lot else that it can do for me. For this reason, I am very open and interested in chiropractic care, essential oils, and other alternative modalities that at least offer hope, and may (even if the possibility is slight) turn out to be true. I look at the existence of a divine being and the truth of Christianity in  a similar fashion.

Always seek your greatest happiness. Selfishness is not a vice or a virtue; it is simply an unalterable part of what makes us human beings. What is important in seeking fulfillment is to live your life according to the logical paradigm and belief structure that will best accomplish this.