One of my favorite atheist quotes goes something like this, “We are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer Gods than you.” The implication being that if a believer can dismiss the infinitude of deities that people worship, except for one, they are almost an atheist themselves.
I love the quote because the first time I encountered it I realized, “Whoa, why not believe in them all?” So I kind of do — If you can call what I do ‘belief,’ but I’ll leave that to the theologians.
Freud was a fellow believer. He said that all of us are driven by a death instinct and a life instinct. He called the death drive, “Thanatos” and the life drive “Eros,” after the Greek Gods of destruction and love. Christopher Hedges riffed on this theory in his book, “War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning” and suggested that at the beginning of an engagement with something, Thanatos can feel like Eros. That explains why the first drink to an alcoholic feels so spiritual, or the cause of marching off to war feels like falling in love. The difference is that dancing with Eros leads to creation, and getting into bed with Thanatos leads to the grave.
So, then, how do we dance with Eros? How can we bring back the old God of passion? It’s easy! Create something. And in that act of creation, feel connected to the force and power of love. Start to work on a passion project.
My most recent date with Eros began with a fever dream I had during Covid. The virus hit me hard, and I spent weeks up at night, chittering and jabbering to no one, convinced the room was full of people. The dreams were weird journeys. I remembered a few and decided they should be comic books. So I wrote the first one, hired an illustrator, and sent the file to the printer. Soon after, a couple hundred copies of “Danger Close” arrived. It was so much fun to open that box!
Danger Close a strange, sort of silly, war story. And it was so much fun to do. I’ve been handing them out to strangers, giving them away to friends, and I posted an e-book version on Amazon. If you want a hard copy, just reach out and we’ll figure out a way for me to mail it to you until I run out of copies. I’m not doing this for the money, it’s just really fun to make something on a lark and have it turn out great. I invited Eros into my life and Eros delivered a God-shot of joy. Every time I share the comic with someone, I feel great. Even if they don’t like it. I’m not doing it for approval or money.
And that’s another part of the equation: No expectations. Do the work and leave the results up to God. (or the Universe, or fate, or chance, whatever works for you.)
So that’s my prescription, friends,
Feel the tickle of Eros and do what it calls you to do, for no reason other than to create.
Circling the fireball amid the dark void of space and time,
I remain,
Your Free Life Coach,
Sean Sakamoto
How did I not know about this?