Nos Non Timidus

I once played a online aerial combat simulation (a game) for a couple years. I belonged to several squadrons. The last one was a great group of guys who had a loose, friendly structure. We had a motto, “We are not afraid.” my latin version of which is the title for this article.

The philosophy of the squadron was that the game was about the community. We weren’t trying to get the highest score, we weren’t trying to win the campaign. We were in it for the camaraderie and for the fun. What this gave us was the outlook that we could throw ourselves at the other sides in the game, because there really wasn’t anything REAL to be afraid of, so there wasn’t anything that could generate fear in us except ourselves and our perceptions.

You could be afraid that your current aircraft would get shot down and you would have to get another aircraft. You could be afraid that any scoring streak you had from landing your aircraft after the mission was over would be over. You could be afraid that your victory ratio would go down. But these were all fears that you had to reason into existence by yourself. The reality is that there was nothing to fear in that world, because it could not touch you in this one. In the end, you exited the game, turned off the computer, and went about your business.

The world created by religious thinking is just such a virtual world for those who are in Christ. There is no score to achieve. There is no ranking system. There is no need to fear. I am not afraid.

Posted by: HarryTick™ on 14. August 2007, 07:48 |