Hi babooshka :
Sure religion can be a great comfort and at times I wish I had some sort of belief system that I could hold on to, but I just can't find one I believe in.
Another reason for belief is that there is so much injustice in life. Innocents get hurt and the guilty go unpunished. There has to be some justice at least in the afterlife.
I've always been drawn to those new age hindu vids on youtube. they believe the soul does a life review and decides weather if wants to come back or not. Which seems to make more sense than just being fried in hot oil by an angry god for not living your life in accordance with their rules.
India must have been a land of plenty and peace in those days, that people had leisure to think and develop such profound concepts of time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_units_of_timeVedic and Puranic texts describe units of Kala measurements, from Paramaṇu (about 17 microseconds) to Maha-Manvantara (311.04 trillion years). According to these texts, the creation and destruction of the universe is a cyclic process, which repeats itself forever. Each cycle starts with the birth and expansion (lifetime) of the Universe equaling 311.04 trillion years, followed by its complete annihilation (which also prevails for the same duration)
Not literally accurate, but impressive nonetheless.
Yet in the end.... ALL religions, including Hinduism. and even philosophy, blithely relegated half the earth's population to secondary status. NOT impressive at all
Personally, I fell into disbelief many eons ago
and have gradually accepted that my place in this vast and complex universe is no more special than the other creatures on this earth.
I am grateful that I was born in a time, when my sex did not condemn me to a lifetime of domestic chores. That i have relative freedom to explore such knowledge as is known at this time, to express my opinions freely.
I appreciate my family. I hope to pass on to my grandchildren my ability to take pleasure in and have awe for the beauty of a tiny wildflower. The interest and open mindedness to always learn. And love freely and and wholeheartedly. And so much more.
I have had good health, but when it is time to die, that's it. I don't find that distressing any more.
I don't know if this will depress you, I hope not