Thank you for your insights in meditation. As a very inexperienced meditator, I should find these quite helpful. These insights are worth sharing with others and well worth people's time to sit down and really study and think about them.
As to your mention of secular humanists and atheists...I understood you to indicate that it takes a belief in a god or divine intelligence to have increased "oneness" and richness of life and less fear of death.
I define atheism simply as "without god/s". In short: for an atheist, there IS no god. This is not to say there is no realm beyond that which is accessible to the 5 senses. The universe is richer in dimensions than we've been able to imagine at certain points in human evolution. But through history we've continued to discover new realms, inspite of the obstacles of philosophical/political/religious dogmas.
#1, there are some of us atheists that DO feel a deep connection with all things. #2, some atheists DO experience relationship with an intelligent Universe (mostly in a Spinozan sense). #3, most of us definately do NOT rely upon dogma and quite frankly do NOT feel any need for it. #4, there ARE atheists in foxholes and no, we have no reason to fear death. Death is simply part of life and the common human experience of it to an atheist makes life all that more precious. Whether or not there is life after death...well, we'll know when we get there, won't we? Certainly there is no harm in hoping that there is a nice afterlife...but, I'm not holding my breath!
#5, yes, there are those of us atheists that DO experience a great appreciation for and sense of relationship with others. I'm a caregiver for the elderly and people with disabilities. And I care greatly for them, even when they manifest abusive behaviors. I also love my parents regardless of their physical abuse of me as a child. My love is unconditional.
Kind Regards, ImagineAllThePeople
