Now that I’ve had a few days to unwind from my second Skepticon and reflect on it, I thought I would talk about it because my opinion is relevant and everybody cares. 😉

As someone who lives in an area that is predominantly Christian, as I’m sure many of you do, it’s a bit of a shock to be surrounded by so many fellow atheists even though I knew that was going to happen before I went. One thing that’s hard about being an atheist in a Christian community is feeling like you’re alone or fighting an uphill battle. Yes I have a few atheist friends here and my fellow Secular Student Alliance members, but it still feels like there’s barely any of us and that change isn’t happening.

While watching one of the speeches at Skepticon, I took a good look around. I thought about the conversations I’ve had with people where I live, and even though I’m not on a mission to create an army of atheists, I have managed to plant the seeds of doubt into a few who have grown to be proud atheists today. Looking around at the people watching this speech, I realized that most of these people are probably doing the same thing. They’re fighting their own mini battles where they live, and it’s happening all around the country. Every time I’m planting seeds of doubt in Missouri, someone is doing it in Ohio, someone is doing it in Nevada, someone is doing it in Virginia. Seeing these people sitting all around me left me with such a profound sense of happiness and inspiration that I can’t convey through words.

I always think I’m a genius, but having dinners and lunches with people who have neuroscience degrees or ran for senate or who have just read so much more than I have makes me realize that I have a long, long way to go. And knowing that there’s so much more for me to learn is a great feeling. These people, you people, who have so much passion and knowledge inspire me every day. You help me to think, to question, to wonder, to grow, and to love. It is vital for people to have a sense of community, and I truly think this is a great one. Whether it’s debating about free will in the hallway with strangers or doing the hokey pokey with Dillahunty or hearing other people’s atheist stories, coming together at all is important. Coming back home to real life can suck (I may or may not have shed a tear), and it can suck even more if you’re not in a position where you’re able to attend these events, but we need to remember that we as individuals are a part of something bigger. Not only can we make a change, we are making a change. Thank you so much to all of you who have helped me on this journey, I can only hope to do the same for you.

Also a special shout out to one of my favorites, some of you might know him. 🙂