Because ...
the more restrictions placed on people,
the more people will evade them, the poorer the people become.
The more weapons, the smarter people become,
the darker the land becomes.
The greater the science,
the deadlier the inventions.
The more laws,
the more criminals and jails.

Therefore, I do nothing,
and people are naturally transformed.
I love peace and quiet,
and people naturally become better.
I do nothing,
and people have more than enough.
I want nothing, and people naturally return to
the simple life.

Shamans do not criticize other metaphysical views.
The power of the shaman rests inside where no outsider can touch.
The power of others' religion rests inside where no outsider can touch.
Shamans are both the most and the least traditional at the same time.
Threatened with extinction, they go underground.

The shaman atheist learns of gods
to learn their habits, their relationships with humans,
their stories of power
to learn to play with the bones of the dead.

The shaman atheist tries to contact the gods.
And fails.
How can one know what one does not experience?
Attempt and failure are part of the process.