What are we without god?

I have a friend who has never liked what she describes as my "aggressive atheism". She has no religion, but she feels that my approach to the subject can be destructive and harsh.

She feels that many people would be unable to cope in a world without god. God is a stabiliser, a comfort, an assurance that somehow we matter and that our lives are being overseen. When feel lost and we despair ever knowing the point of it all, we can trust that there is one who knows. When those we love die, we can trust that they are not gone for all time. We can trust that they have received heavenly compensation for their suffering.

In a world without god, there is no safety net. We are not being watched, at any rate not by anyone who cares. We are not guaranteed our just desserts, and there may not be any absolute purpose to our lives. My friend believes that even if this were the definite truth, most people could not handle it.

I actually find this notion insulting and sad. It makes the assumption that, while we (she and I and anyone else living without religion) are strong enough to travel without a crutch, the vast majority of people on this planet are too weak. What snobbery. Or perhaps even we nonbelievers are crippled by our lack of faith?

Yes, life is hard. Yeah, death is terrifying and sometimes senseless. And faith is a great coping mechanism, right? Except that I don't think it is. The faithful are just as fearful of death as the infidels. Nobody wants to go to heaven yet. And when a man is starving, he might pray for food but he must still beg too, because at least begging gets some direct results. Most of us understand that "God helps those who help themselves", and we conduct ourselves accordingly. Faith or no faith, we must rely on ourselves and on each other to navigate life and death.

Religion - in my view, at least - actually seems to discourage people from trusting in humanity. God is powerful and wonderful and we are dirty and weak. We must recognise our own depravity and submit ourselves to god's will. Some hastily located verses from the Bible:

Jerusalem 17:5
Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes flesh his strength and turns his heart away from the Lord.

Romans 3:23
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Isaiah 64:6
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Proverbs 28:26
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool.

I don't think many Christians actually believe these things. From what I have seen during my life so far, I think most of us know we must have faith in ourselves and in the goodness of others. We know good things can be done through our honest effort and fleshly labour. People without faith can and do lead full, admirable lives.

Millions of people experience religious doubt. All the time, all over the world. I hope that they are able to see that "losing faith" doesn't have to be a negative act. Though I might not trust in god, I am learning to trust in humanity. And that's something that can change my life for the better. If I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst - if I ask for help, but I don't permit myself to be helpless - I can make it through. I think my love is best reserved for real people who can feel it and return it. Sometimes I will give more than I get, and sometimes I will fail to give. Humanity is imperfect, but it is all we have. We can trust in ourselves. We can be amazing.

Do It Yourself. Dooo Iiiit.

My handbag is complete! I chose a bow for the front design, and clasped it shut with a little button. I've spent the last couple of days waving it around everywhere I go and telling everyone to praise my gloriousness.

But although I'm pleased with the result and I hope to do even better next time, what have I really achieved here? I made up a simple bag pattern, hand-sewed it, made a basic bow and sewed a buttonhole. It's not actually very difficult stuff, yet it's beyond the scope of a lot of us these days. I can only sew because my Mum is super crafty and taught me, and I only decided to start sewing again because my friend had already created her own nifty handbag, and I decided to try it too.

It might have taken me longer than going to the shops to buy a new bag, but it cost me just six dollars for the materials (and I've only used one leg of those jeans... I could make another bag with what I have left)! So what else might I be able to achieve? What other skills could I develop? So often, we are taught to buy, not make. To discard, not repair. As a consequence, we know nothing about how simple things work. We can navigate complex software, but we can't mend a rip in our jeans. My brother couldn't even sew on a button (until he asked me to do it for him, and then I forced him to learn).

An open question for the audience: when you need the hems of your trousers taken up, do you do it yourself, or do you pay for the service?

We are a remarkably skilled generation. We often have a discreet snigger about silly old ladies who can't fathom The E-mail, or our tragic parents who still couldn't program their VCR right up till the day they chucked it in and got a DVD recorder instead.

But so many of our skills belong to the narrow category of current consumer-targeted technologies. We can use a mobile and burn a disc and perform a backup of files. We can drive an automatic and type at eighty words per minute. But we cannot grow carrots in a garden bed. We cannot build a basic wooden stool. We cannot make custard from scratch! (Well, I can't.) Many, many generations before us have had these skills and more. We judge them for not having our skills, but nor do we have theirs - we figure those things can all be paid for. But why? Why shouldn't we be able to do it ourselves? There's a pride and pleasure that comes from achieving something on your own, and I can't say I feel that feeling when it comes to digital wizardry.

So, hark, all ye tech junkies! This summer, teach yourself a new practical skill. Maybe something you'd usually pay to have done for you, like cutting hair, or hemming trousers. Maybe something you usually do with powered technology, like cooking sans microwave, or travelling by bicycle rather than car. Embrace the physical world with your remarkable, capable body.

Sometimes I think I'd forget I have a body if I didn't check it in the mirror each morning.

Seamster.

If you've spoken to me over the past few weeks, you'll be aware that I am currently in the throes of a mini online shopping addiction. I've spent hours browsing Etsy; I started by looking at vintage knick-knacks, then started limiting my searches to Australian sellers, then got hooked on the jewellery because that's what most of the Australian sellers are selling. Then I thought: but wait! Why am I looking at handmade jewellery when I could be using my hands to make jewellery? Thus I migrated to the supplies section.

Meanwhile, my friend Rabia recently inspired me to think about sewing projects again because she is creating an embroidered patchwork cushion cover, so when I caught up with her on Tuesday I dragged her around a bunch of op shops where she advised me on the best kinds of fabrics to use (and the best kind of garments to filch them from) in the making of purses and handbags.

So I bought these.

(Clockwise from top left:

Embellished jeans, silk shirt, random

brown offcut, polyester satin skirt.)

(Yeah man, real silk - for three bucks!)

Anyway, I was so pumped about it that I didn't even find a pattern or anything, but just launched right into this baby:

It's not finished yet; the strap is still just pinned on and I haven't figured out how I'm going to clasp it... not a zip, but maybe a button or something. But look - sexy red lining.

I love the red so much, but since you can't actually see it unless you're looking into the bag, I kinda want to put some kind of silk embellishment on the outside of the bag. Maybe a bow or a couple roses. Thoughts?

Creed.

I believe the universe was created
In the heart of an exploding star.

I believe all life is connected
By its common ancestry.

I am not my atoms
New atoms enter my body as others leave it.

I am not my cells
Cells are constantly born inside me as others die.

I am part of something greater
A piece of the pattern of advancing life.

My existence is precious
One sparkling instant of this infinite time.

Disoriented.

(This is an About Miriam post - sorry for the navel gazeyness.)

Okay, firstly, my apologies for going AWOL for the past week and a half. I've spent the last five days doodling around north-eastern Victoria with some excellent friends. And before that... well, I have not been in the mood for writing, not at all.

I'm starting to feel lost again. Sending out job applications and getting nowhere; glad to be free of a difficult relationship yet stuck living at home again, just as though I'd never left. I alternate from day to day: now brimming with ideas, then starved of energy. Now discovering and learning and feeling inspired, then bored and idle. I was really hoping that a job opportunity would come up so that I could throw myself into the challenge of a new workplace, but maybe I'm too picky with my applications... or maybe my resume just isn't  what it should be?

Either way, the current approach is not working too well. I think it's time to set a new goal. Anyone want to tell me how to fix my life?