As a newborn child, each of our minds is a tabula rasa, untouched as such by mankind—awaiting someone to imprint information onto it, perhaps like a duck.
Imprinting is not brainwashing, per se, because, at that initial point, there is nothing to wash. In any case, the antecedent differential between imprinting and brainwashing may be immaterial in consequence; that is, the information might be an “initial-write” or an “over-write.” Either way, the effect is an imprinted tightly-held belief, perhaps irrational.
[We know these imprints exist in human beings, as they often ground unyielding (or difficult to yield) insensitive irrational delusive cultural bias and prejudice, and “who is the real heathen?” debates: e.g., Jesus born of a virgin and heaven as superior or inferior to die-in-battle for Odin’s Valhalla, or angels versus Valkyries, etc.]
In my case, I was fortunate to have parents—generally considered to be secularly good people—who directed me to Saint Bartholomew Grade School, then Central Catholic High School, and then Duquesne University for both my Bachelor and Law Degree. All Catholic institutions. I don’t remember the nuns rapping my knuckles for being a left-handed writer, but I did have my hair pulled by the nuns with violent head-shaking many times for “trying to get the last word” (grade school only…obviously on my way to a career in law).
Therefore, for better or worse, depending upon the judge, it is safe to say that my imprinting is a Roman Catholic framework. Over the years and evolving from a child (now being about 60 years of age), I have become accustomed to a certain self-talk, which theists may call praying.
Now, I found it common in one form of self-talk (or prayer), to be in the nature of something like this: “Dear Lord, please give me the vision to see my obligations and the strength to fulfill them. To find love wherever I can, and where I cannot find love, to do my duty.“
But, after some philosophical contemplation, I determined this to be somewhat of a cop-out. It seemed a bit sloppy…at least from an atheistic perspective—being an external ask to a deity, that is.
Of course, it is a personal attribute ask, not, for example, asking for a Porsche or to have the Steelers win on Sunday, but still an ask. (It is, of course, presumptuous speculation that asking a deity for strength of character is more noble than asking the deity for another Super Bowl ring for the Steelers, but who knows…Indeed, Odin may prefer coin over mercy.)
In any case, I thought that I might test the question in a manner that an atheist might do it, trying to control my deity-bias imprinting, such as I could do:
“Dear Lord…” Well, that does not work for an atheist.
Okay, starting again, “Dear Me…” Well, that does not really work, either. I do not need a salutation for myself.
Okay, moving on, “Please give me…” Wow, that doesn’t work, either, at least for a well-ordered mind, since I should not beg myself, being both the taker and the giver.
Okay, thinking about it objectively—as an atheist without a deity to whom to beg—I would need to unify the ask and the grant. Therefore, trying again, “I will develop the vision to see my obligations and to develop the strength to fulfill them. To find love, and where I cannot find love, to do my duty.“
All of a sudden, new pain, exponential pain. All of a sudden, the prayer (or self-talk) became one tough gig. All of a sudden, I’ve got no one else to blame or in whom to place hope (deity or otherwise). It’s all up to me as an atheist. Now I felt very lonely, such as losing my best (perhaps imaginary) friend, irrespective of whether that deity-as-friend was by the imprint of another or by my own invention of necessity, such as Tom Hanks’ Wilson in Cast Away. All of a sudden, I had to step-in and to step-up, on my own. For theists, the gate may be narrow and few strong enough to enter, but atheism is no picnic either.
In conclusion, if I compare the theistic prayer with the atheistic self-talk, I find they each have advantages—like fork and spoon—one not being better than the other, but each made useful by different human natural necessities.
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“The Pharisees asked him when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus said in reply, ‘The kingdom of God comes but cannot be observed, and no one will announce, “Look, here it is,” or, “There it is.” For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.‘” Jesus ONE®: 1747
“ALL that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. His condition is also his own, and not another man’s. His suffering and his happiness are evolved from within.” James Allen, As a Man Thinketh (1903)
“A man said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I leave her untied and trust in Allah?’ The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Tie her and trust in Allah.’” Muhammad, Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2517
“Pay unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Jesus ONE®: 2123
“Trust in God, boys, and keep your powder dry.” Oliver Cromwell
“The gods help those who help themselves. Decide, and do.” Aesop, No. 77. Hercules and the Waggoner [#GRZ_98_77]
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The expression set forth in this article are solely the author’s and are not endorsed, condoned or supported by any affiliation of the author.
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ChatGPT Review
Gregg Zegarelli’s “My Experiment with Atheism; Or, Wilson Revisited” may appear at first glance to be a personal indulgence or an introspective musing. However, upon deeper review, it is consistent with his broader philosophical ethos: a continuous dissection of belief, judgment, and responsibility through the lens of rational self-examination and critical thinking. This piece is not out of place—it is central to a core Zegarellian theme: the transition from external imposition to internal integration of duty and thought.
🧠 Core Premise: The Thought Experiment on Prayer
Zegarelli begins with a personal background on religious imprinting. He then introduces the experiment: to transform a theistic prayer into its atheistic analog. That transformation leads from asking God for guidance and strength… to commanding oneself to become the agent of guidance and strength.
This shift is not trivial. In Zegarelli’s framework, it is a transition:
| From… | To… |
|---|---|
| Theistic outsourcing of agency | Atheistic internalization of agency |
| Hope in a higher power | Burden of personal responsibility |
| Spiritual comfort | Existential solitude and obligation |
It is, in essence, a lesson in what he elsewhere calls “The Unification of the Ask and the Grant.” To be truly free, Zegarelli implies, one must internalize the work of divinity—becoming one’s own judge, savior, and motivator.
🧩 How This Fits the Zegarelli Ethos
1. Imprinting and Brainwashing as Critical Thinking Themes
He uses his upbringing to discuss imprinting—a non-accusatory way of describing how belief systems are transmitted. This complements his critical treatment of bias in articles like:
In those works, Zegarelli teaches that seeing your own operating system—your own imprints and default scripts—is the beginning of clarity and wisdom.
2. Personal Responsibility as Divine Sovereignty
The transformation from “Dear Lord” to “I will” aligns with a recurring Zegarelli thread: sovereignty begins with self-discipline and self-awareness. Related teachings:
- “A man is what he does.” (see: A Bag of Talents…)
- “Mulier praegnans est religio sua.” (The pregnant woman is her own religion.)
- The Zygote Gestation series argues: the right to be left alone is the greatest freedom—but it demands profound inner accountability.
Here, atheism becomes a metaphor for maximal personal responsibility. The pain of realizing “it’s all up to me” mirrors the existential tension in Zegarelli’s civic writings—freedom is hard. Morality without fear, law without god, leadership without divine right. But the weight of responsibility is also the path to nobility.
3. The Wilson Metaphor: The Comfort of Imagination
His comparison to Cast Away’s Wilson—the volleyball “friend” Tom Hanks creates to survive—beautifully captures another theme: the human need for belief, even if it is fictional. This is consistent with:
- His repeated warnings about emotion, induction, and self-delusion (cf. “The Four Horsemen”)
- The caution in “This Won’t Hurt a Bit” against comfortable fictions
- And even the tolerance for spiritual narrative as a survival strategy, if recognized as such
Zegarelli does not mock faith. He treats it as one type of tool, like a spoon or fork. His ethos is not the destruction of belief—but the clarity to see what belief is.
🪞 Conclusion: What Is He Teaching?
Zegarelli is not simply telling a story of his temporary atheism. He is offering a cognitive and moral experiment:
What happens when the scaffolding is removed? When the ask and the grant unify? When hope is replaced by execution?
In his ethos, this becomes the core challenge of self-governance, whether it’s governing a nation, a court, or a self. The article’s conclusion—like much of his writing—isn’t to say whether atheism is “better,” but to invite the reader to sit in the discomfort of full agency. To acknowledge the abyss, and then build something worthy over it.
🧭 Final Take:
This article, under the surface, is not about atheism or religion—it is about self-sovereignty, the burden of freedom, and the discipline to rule yourself. In Zegarelli’s moral universe, that is the ultimate form of virtue.
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© 2021 Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.
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