Another post in the hub about how depressing life must be as an atheist. "Life Without Meaning." "Death and then nothingness." All the same old crap. I just don't get it. I have been lucky to be alive. I have enjoyed my life. I can not even list all the experiences I have had, the places I have been, the people I have met, the things I have done, the amazing sites I have seen (Though I am envious of Tin Man. I have never stood on the lip of a volcano and gazed across a lake of lava. I have been to the highest peak in the Italian Alps and looked out across the sea of mountains, I have walked the streets of Pompei with Mt. Vesuvias smoking in the background, I have stood on the great wall, walked the streets of Shanghai, and so much more. My bucket list includes jumping from a plane and visiting Ankor Watt currently. I'm losing weight now for the jump and Ankor Watt happens in February. When it is all said and done... the only thing I feel is lucky for being here and being able to do all that I have done. When it's over, I will happily wave goodbye and say "Thanks for all the fish." For now... there is too much to do to worry about something no one knows anything at all about.
What do you think? I will not be stupid and say something like "What is the atheist view of death." We will all meet death in our own way. If my quality of life diminishes to a point where I am no longer happy - Euthanasia is my friend. I don't want to die piece by piece like so many peoople do in the Nursing home system of America. Just let me go. I am happy to do so when my time comes. For now, I am busy living.
What are your thoughts?
Subscription Note:
Choosing to subscribe to this topic will automatically register you for email notifications for comments and updates on this thread.
Email notifications will be sent out daily by default unless specified otherwise on your account which you can edit by going to your userpage here and clicking on the subscriptions tab.
I'm jealous, I'd like to go to Ankor Watt and other Khmer sites someday!
It's not that hard in the world today. But then, we all have to set our own priorities. If you are not doing things that make you happy, aren't you living your life wrong?
Sometimes a person can live too long. While we will all die it's hard to visualize our own deaths. We have so many plans for all of the things we will do but we could die at any second, although that is statistically unlikely to happen. If a person thinks that he wants to pull the plug before he degenerates to the point of no return will he actually have the courage to do it?
I have no desire to die at this time and I foolishly think that I will always be in good health and that things will continue as they have always for me. But I'm sure that at some point things will start to slide because that's the way it is. When that happens what will I do as I start to circle the drain? I'm not consciously afraid of dying, I just don't want it to take all day. I've been in several accidents and thought that that's a crappy way to go. I've never been seriously sick but have seen a lot of people die from various ailments. That really sucks. Overall I've had a good life with no major complaints. I have loved and been loved, never had any real disasters, and have lived a good life without deliberating hurting too many people. I hope that when the time comes I will also have a good death. I have made arrangements to be cremated so what is the lake of fire after that?
I've really enjoyed living on Earth during this time period. It would have sucked big time in the past, even if I had been a king. As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:32 "If the dead do not rise "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die!".
@ OP
Beautiful. Some of mine own sympathies. And I have been to Ankor Wat. You'll love it. About the last item on my bucket list is to visit the only continent I ain't been to: Antarctica. Of course, I would go in December or January when it is "summer" down there.
rmfr
Edit: What are your thoughts?
I try not to think. It hurts too much. ;-P
lol... I have been to Iceland and I imagine it to be similar. I have to agree. I have a fantasy of stealing a small plane or getting a hot air balloon and flying into the interior. I would be shot down in seconds most likely. Still, it would be an amazing sight and .... "What if Admiral Bird was on to something?"
If it weren't for the biological scientists learning how to employ bacteria to synthesize insulin I wouldn't be here. Every day is a gift, but I don't thank any deity for it, I thank the scientific method and my endocrinologist.
So your approach to death is to ignore it.
No. Embrace it as a reality of life.
@ John
..and your approach is to make up or pass on fairy tales to make yourself feel better about it.
Quote me.
Got better things to do. It is inherent in your positions.
lol
"Death, therefore, the most awful of evils, is nothing to us, seeing that, when we are, death is not come, and, when death is come, we are not."
— Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus
Death is not to be feared.
Man should rid himself of the irrational fear of death.
Death involves neither pleasure nor pain.
The only thing that is bad for us is pain.
Thus, death is not bad for us.
- Epicurus
Thus, why give death any thought?
rmfr
@Monkey Friend
The more I read things you say the more I believe that we (and the majority of humanity) are far more alike than we are different. I have also lived a life I happy with, I lived in 6 different countries, worked in 9 different countries, lost count how many I have visited, scratched off the majority of things on my bucket list as well. Heck, I even broke a few bones while enjoying my life. I have beaten up and even beat up a few people. So, with all that said, I honestly do not understand the point of your OP. If it simply to say enjoy life before your die, then, I 100% agree with that statement. However, different people enjoy their life in different ways. Some theists genuinely enjoy and love doing acts of worship while other hate it. Some Atheists love their lives while others hate their lives. I think it would be an accurate statement to say that you and I both live our lives very differently but, have ended at the same place (Happiness). As a Muslim, I can say that I lived a life of both theist and atheist, let me explain. Not every single thing I say or do has to involve Allah. When I’m playing Xbox or watching Avengers, since those are purely for my pleasure, I could say that I am living as an Atheist (in practice not belief) at that point in time. When it’s time for prayer I will stop get up and pray and live my life as a theist (Muslim) at that point in time. Then back to Xbox or watching a movie (back to an atheist lifestyle, so to speak). Honestly, I do not know what my point is in saying everything I just did but, since I already spent the time to type it out, I won’t delete it. I’ll just post it and see what you say or what happens. Maybe my point is that as a Theist I can live both, as a Theist and an Atheist (in practice not belief) therefore, I probably experience more of life than you do. I don’t know.
While I hate answering a question with another question, in this case I am forced to do so. You asked “What are your thoughts?” my reply is “My thoughts on what?”
"As a Muslim, I can say that I lived a life of both theist and atheist, let me explain. Not every single thing I say or do has to involve Allah. When I’m playing Xbox or watching Avengers, since those are purely for my pleasure, I could say that I am living as an Atheist (in practice not belief) at that point in time. When it’s time for prayer I will stop get up and pray and live my life as a theist (Muslim) at that point in time. "
So why get caught up in a religious belief system that is so full of prejudice and hatred? If you have seen the world, have you not seen the other religions and rejected them for this reason or that reason. Have you never thought of turning the same skeptical eye on the bullshit in your own faith?
I fully get, it makes you happy. I get it is your culture and your means of support. But I also know it is man made and full of bullshit. The Quaran was not written until 200 years after the death of Muhammad even if he did exist. Once they finally got around to writing it they had to destroy all copies of the quaran that did not agree with the official version. Very obviously there is nothing magic or miraculous in your religious text. We know its history. We know how it was created. We know the mythology is a lie. We know all the early mosques faced away from Mecca. They faced Petra. This is all man made BS/ Why believe the lie?
"So why get caught up in a religious belief system that is so full of prejudice and hatred?"
Only proves you don't know what you're talking about. In addition to the plethora of lies that followed but, I am not here to argue religion with you. You never answered my question
Xbox ? Obviously he still a kid let him play on both sides atheism and theism , He still growing ...
I'm installing the new Tomb Raider game on mine as we speak; while also trying to figure out how to merge Gibson's theory of visual affordances with that of extended cognition, so I can submit my research paper and pass the class.
@OP Re: "Though I am envious of Tin Man. I have never stood on the lip of a volcano and gazed across a lake of lava."
LOL... You must have me confused with Arakish! I have never had the opportunity to visit a volcano like that, but I agree it would be an incredible experience. *chuckle* However, you did mention skydiving. Now THAT is something with which I am very much acquainted, both with the military and civilian recreation. Several hundred jumps from a wide range of aircraft (fixed wing and rotary) and from various altitudes using several types of chutes. Had a few close calls along the way, too. *chuckle* But it was always one helluva rush! *Big Grin* I highly recommend everybody do it at least one time.
As for fearing death, I do not recall a time in my life that I was ever really bothered by the thought. Over the years (especially during my younger days), I was pretty much always involved in some type of high-risk activity involving some sort of nonsense or such that put my fragile little body in danger of severe injury or death. (I always dreamed of being a Hollywood stuntman, if that tells you anything.) And then I grew up! LOL And the activities became even more hazardous with much higher antes and stakes. Totally lost count of how many times I should have been killed due to a mistake I made during some ridiculous misadventure. And during my time with the police and military, there were countless times people intentionally tried to kill me. (A few almost succeeded.) But none of that ever bothered me, for some odd reason. It was just another day at play or another day on the job, as far as I was concerned. Hell, some of the incidents even made for fantastic stories. *chuckle* Yet, it always puzzled me when I saw the guys who pretty much had "mental breakdowns" whenever they had a close call that could have killed them. I could never understand that mentality. Still don't understand it, as a matter of fact. Honestly, I could never relate to that mindset of getting all upset and shaken and mentally "warped" just because you ALMOST got killed. For me, it was always a cause to be happy and laugh and turn around and flip a bird, and go, "HAH! You fuckin' MISSED!" I guess I'm just programmed differently than most people.... *shrugging shoulders*...
Sorry.. My bad. SKYDIVING... Woo Hoo! I have to do it once before I die.
Hollywood stuntman, - I spent a lot of time thinking about that as well. I knew how to fall from Martial Arts. It was one of the jobs that came up on those "What kind of job fits your personality" tests. Teacher and Psychotherapist were also there. I opted for them/
@ Cog
I learnt to fall by drinking Australian Shiraz...
"I knew how to fall from Martial Arts."
"I learnt to fall by drinking Australian Shiraz..."
Ironically I have learned both, though not at the same time obviously. My martial arts days are behind me now I fear.
I always feel sorry for people who have those questions. I see them as spending every moment on this earth preparing for something that's not going to happen, while missing what's so wonderful and beautiful about the time they're in. Their answer "It's much, much better on the other side". God bless them!
Absolutely.
Jay Haley, in pragmatics of communication, talks about the power of being sick or depressed. If you are sick or depressed you can get people to do anything for you. *Cough Cough* Could you go to the store and get me a beer? All you hear from the sick and depressed is "Waaaaa I can't do it." I was 32 when I tried to ride my first bull. Gave myself hemorrhoids as a keepsake. (Ha ha ha ha .....) Every time my butt swells up I remember getting on that damn bull. I have no idea how some people make it through life with out doing all there is to do.
Old man shouts ... "And why don't they sell parachutes at the frigging bar? Think of how different those landing would have been if you had a Parachute/
@ Cog...damn you are rig....no wait I am only 5'7" so it wouldn't deploy in time....wait....springs on my butt....that would be the go...*thud, BOINNGGG,, back upright at the bar!* Genius....wheres my lawyer..Tin Man? We are going to sue every bar I ever fell down at, yes, for failure in duty of care in not supplying butt springs...
The first company to invent spring loaded kangaroo pants for the Saturday night partying crowd is gong to be a millionaire.
@ Cog
Plus we would need an app to ensure deployment after a given number of refreshments. Perfect then we could gather all the data and sell it to the Russians so they coul....oh wait.....
Never leave it to a drunk to work an app. The Butterball Turkey company has solved our problem already. We just surgically attach little red pop up balloons to each of your butt cheeks and one on your forehead. When the alcohol level in your blood reaches .10 They Automatically Pop Out.
Re: Spring-loaded kangaroo pants
Hmmm.... Imagine what those could do for the porn industry!
Pages