Swiftheart was my favorite. I loved all the cousins. There was a penguin too, if I recall correctly. I was obsessed with Care Bears as a kid. Seeing this image hit me like a truck. The point of the meme completely lost to me as I drown in a sea of nostalgia.
The most comforting thing you can generally offer someone is presence and acknowledgment in my experience as an atheist nurse. The whole point of platitudes being looked down on is that they're generally seen as insincere.
Social interaction is magic. You have an organ for creating special waves that transmit your thoughts into other people's heads? That's just telepathy. Language is a superpower. And it only works because everyone believes a bunch of vibrating air molecules can have meaning, which is some spiritual woo-woo.
My reaction to your good vibes.
I didn't know there were other care-creatures besides bears
The Care Bear Cousins was a spinoff that didn’t last long but made an impression.
Care cousins call!
I remember them too. There were also comics.
And this guy:
Swiftheart was my favorite. I loved all the cousins. There was a penguin too, if I recall correctly. I was obsessed with Care Bears as a kid. Seeing this image hit me like a truck. The point of the meme completely lost to me as I drown in a sea of nostalgia.
You can't see it, but I am giving you an absolutely fierce Care-Bear Stare!
Daddy, that person is Staring at me
Atheists: what are some good comforting words to use in place of religious/metaphysical crap like this or thoughts and prayers?
I wish you the best.
I wish you a lot of strength to get through the situation.
Classics! Work well for most things.
The most comforting thing you can generally offer someone is presence and acknowledgment in my experience as an atheist nurse. The whole point of platitudes being looked down on is that they're generally seen as insincere.
Comforting people with your voice is a form of magic and atheists don't believe in magic, so they haven't developed any incantations.
We need to think of some then!
How about:
"On average, the chances of you dying in the next week are only .01%, so buck up!"
This actually sounds great.
Probably wouldn't work very well if you're talking to a terminal patient
Would have to redo the math for sure.
"I know things are bad now, but I can 100% guarantee you won't got to Hell when you die."
Nah, comforting people is a form of social interaction. We are social animals and that helps us to survive bad situations. No magic in that.
Social interaction is magic. You have an organ for creating special waves that transmit your thoughts into other people's heads? That's just telepathy. Language is a superpower. And it only works because everyone believes a bunch of vibrating air molecules can have meaning, which is some spiritual woo-woo.
If I were dying, or lost my job, or had a bereavement; I would find any one of these to be incredibly comforting:
May the force be with you
Live long and prosper
Here's looking at you kid
My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain
Cowabanga
Apes together strong
If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead.
You have my sword, and my bow, and my axe.
Why do we fall sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.
I live my life a quarter mile at a time.
I'll be back
Which would be worse, to live a monster or to die a good man
Thanks! I'm saving this in my notes for future reference!
They're totally pissing.
That group of Goth Care Bears blasting out black light
That's how I imagine them being sent when I say it. Glad we're on the same page
https://m.xkcd.com/146/
This is what tonglen feels like when you're able to really get going
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ4abo1IiB4
Sending my love, what a wonderful feeling
still more real than thoughts and prayers
Prismatic Spray. That shit didn't fuck around.