You didn’t just stop believing something. You lost the system that provided the structure for who you are, who you belong to, and what to do next. That’s not a simple change in opinion. That’s a collapse. And it’s why leaving a totalizing belief system feels less like closing a book and more like the floor going out from under you.
The key to consider right now is that this period of disorientation, however strong it may be to you personally, is part of a natural, inevitable process in recalibrating how you interact with the various parts of your life, including the story you have of yourself. I do believe strongly that you, like anyone, are fully capable of investigating, trying new things out, and developing the tools for the ongoing meaning-making journey that is your life.
Presentation:
Worksheet for Reflection:
Further Reading:
Buddha, Socrates, and Us: Ethical Living in Uncertain Times, by Stephen Batchelor
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