Life’s a beach for a self-proclaimed agnostic living in the ultra-conservative paradise that is San Pedro, Garza García. Of all the enlightening comments I’ve received, my favorite is the always-condescending: Fran, you can’t have morals without religion. Naturally, I disagree.

Morality is very much possible without the presence of a superior being, whether it be merciful or malevolent. Matter of fact, it’s pretty logical that non-believers are sometimes capable of higher levels of morality than religious people. After all, the distinction between “divine law” and actual “right and wrong” can be unclear in the latter.

Although I am not of the conviction that religious people are incapable of morality, I do believe that human beings contain the basic, natural skills of empathy and intuition that allow them to generate their own morals without fear of penalty from a higher power. Often times, divine punishment blurs the line that separates common sense from the word of God.

I have, without a doubt, seen both sides of the coin. I’ve gone through the motions of every Sanpetrino’s youth: from the briefness of my Confirmation, to the pompous extravagance of my First Communion. Adversely, some of the closest people in my life are of a strange atheism, set on the belief that God doesn’t exist but always sure to pray when most convenient.

When I was around eight years old, I’d be infuriated at those who did not attend church every week. I enthusiastically accompanied my family members, only to fall asleep in the middle of the gospel. This was a constant on the Sundays of my pre-teen years: always I would go to Church, and never did I listen to a word the preacher uttered.

I’ve found benevolence and evil in those that believe, just as I’ve found both in those who do not. Through it all, however, I’ve realized that the basic foundations of human morality are completely secular, morphing themselves into a beautiful spectrum of opinion as one grows older.