I suppose because death wouldn't be particularly worth dying, if you're not going to get rewarded for believing in some stuff.

(January 26, 2013 at 7:02 pm)Insanity x Wrote: Video is unavailable here. Thats been happening a lot today.

It's Wristcutters: A love story

Quote:Sure, I think those moments of hilarity and enjoyment are better than non-existence.

Although I guess once I kick the bucket I won't much care about funny things. Or anything else for that matter.

I enjoy life too, even with with the setbacks.

Quote:Guess it depends on how hilarious you find the world. If your somebody who suffers a lot in life perhaps being dead is a more appealing prospect. For me however, all the time I can laugh I'm happy to live.

I'm glad that you live for the laughs... I do so too, but I respect those who opted out

Quote:My question is not what is the meaning of life, because I don't feel you can give meaning to life and I think life just is.

Hi : ) I'm not an atheist, but I have an answer to your question.

Life is all about good deeds,either you believed that or not. Life's value is a variable at all times ; you are the one who evaluate its worth.
Your life would worths what you do in it. It isn't a personal touch or a delusion, it is true that people who invent, help & benefit other people (or even animals or plants) are feeling better about themselves.

For example, opening up a school for the poor or gardening some cherry trees would give you a reason to wake up every morning, feeling that your life is worth living.

It's very different to see a child laughing after playing with his mom, and another one crying because he/she got raped by a pedophile.

Life "is" all about good deeds. Despite the existence of religion, if we thought for a moment that life is about "our pleasure", it would be the dark ages again.

I must admit the question really throws me. I think because it conflates three different unrelated topics. It is asking for meaning in life, I think. So Atheism has nothing to do with it. Meaning doesn't come from the outside but the inside. Assuming our basic needs are met, then, as we mature we have interests and desires (emotional / biological) and we have certain things we tend to be good at, math, music, analysis, physical stuff… whatever , having interests and desires motivates us to work at them, which leads to achievement which results in satisfaction and increases our interest / desires. This positive circle brings about a feeling of meaning. Meaning comes from within, and can be encouraged, but you don't get it from the outside. An interest in other people can translate into motivation to do good, and by achieving that satisfaction will feeds back. If life does not seem worth living, I would thing a psychiatrist would be the place to go, sounds chemical to me. Atheist / theisim has nothing to do with this.
JD

(February 5, 2013 at 8:34 am)AtlasS Wrote:

Quote:My question is not what is the meaning of life, because I don't feel you can give meaning to life and I think life just is.

Hi : ) I'm not an atheist, but I have an answer to your question.

Life is all about good deeds,either you believed that or not. Life's value is a variable at all times ; you are the one who evaluate its worth.
Your life would worths what you do in it. It isn't a personal touch or a delusion, it is true that people who invent, help & benefit other people (or even animals or plants) are feeling better about themselves.

For example, opening up a school for the poor or gardening some cherry trees would give you a reason to wake up every morning, feeling that your life is worth living.

It's very different to see a child laughing after playing with his mom, and another one crying because he/she got raped by a pedophile.

Life "is" all about good deeds. Despite the existence of religion, if we thought for a moment that life is about "our pleasure", it would be the dark ages again.

I usually try to just igonor BS. But in this case I cannot. What you say is self serving unadultrated BS. You wrote platitudes to make yourself look good and to help keep "good deeds" the Christian Brand. It is not that doing good deeds cannot make one feel good or lend meaning for ones lives. But that it is not a significant contributor for most peoples' "feeling of worth and meaning" and is not something many people do. Most people primary means (99.999) of making ourselves feeling good and pleasure is albout ourselves: from eating, working, being affectionate with therir partner, having other relationships, carreers, planning the vacation. But it is not a material component of 99.99999% of people. Look what it took to pass universal health care... look how many people take advantage of the disabled and elderly, what it takes to pass funding for education. You think hardened criminals or starving people are going to take meaning from "doing good"? If we are going to mature as humans, we first need a honest understanding of who and what we are. We are primarily self serving animals that have developed language and technology to better vail our intent and server ourselves. Those platitudes you are spouting is part of the vail... like the Ms. America that responds to, "If you could have one wish?" with "world peace". It's self serving, what the wish is to, say the right thing so she can win the contest. Only through a real understanding of the true nature of ourselves can we develop ways to encourage our basic animal instincts to better provide good for all, and help the human race survive and flourish (and I don't mean to reproduce more so we can completely destroy the planet before we get off of it). JD

You simply cannot, should not, ask for the meaning of life without personal meaning. I live my life a certain way for certain reasons (with many unknowns), but that does not mean that anyone else shares that with me. Nor should they...

It is of my opinion that each individual must find their own meaning. I personally live my life constantly searching for that meaning even though I acknowledge that I may never actually find it. Maybe that in itself is the meaning of life for me. Just finding some purpose to my existence.

I know my wife and kids are something I definitely live for. I also live for snowboarding... never get tired of that. I also disagree with your comment that things get boring after repetition. Sure, some things do, but not all. Astronomy for example; I love astronomy and it never ever ceases to amaze me. And how can it become boring? There is so much we do not understand about the universe (or multiverse).

(February 11, 2013 at 1:49 am)NoahsFarce Wrote: You simply cannot, should not, ask for the meaning of life without personal meaning. I live my life a certain way for certain reasons (with many unknowns), but that does not mean that anyone else shares that with me. Nor should they...

It is of my opinion that each individual must find their own meaning. I personally live my life constantly searching for that meaning even though I acknowledge that I may never actually find it. Maybe that in itself is the meaning of life for me. Just finding some purpose to my existence.

I know my wife and kids are something I definitely live for. I also live for snowboarding... never get tired of that. I also disagree with your comment that things get boring after repetition. Sure, some things do, but not all. Astronomy for example; I love astronomy and it never ever ceases to amaze me. And how can it become boring? There is so much we do not understand about the universe (or multiverse).

Quote:It is of my opinion that each individual must find their own meaning

Agreed

Ultimately millions and billions of years from now nothing will be on record, all we have is this one life. Life may have no grand purpose, but all you can do is make your own meaning, do your own thing and be an individual. This

(February 11, 2013 at 1:49 am)NoahsFarce Wrote: I know my wife and kids are something I definitely live for.

But what if your wife and kids were to die in a horrific car accident? Then your life would be utterly ruined because you built your life around your family instead of God. Then you would have no option to but to commit suicide. (traditional Christian argument)

(February 11, 2013 at 1:49 am)NoahsFarce Wrote: I also live for snowboarding... never get tired of that.

But what if you were to lose the use of your legs in a horrific car accident? Then your life would be utterly ruined because that's what you built your life around snowboarding instead of God. Then you would have no option to but to commit suicide (traditional Christian argument 2)

(February 11, 2013 at 1:49 am)NoahsFarce Wrote: Astronomy for example; I love astronomy and it never ever ceases to amaze me.

You're never ceased to be amazed by the because you see the hand of the one who weaved that tapestry of stars into the very heavens and you marvel at his divine glory and goodness. But what if your eyes are burned out in a horrific car accident? Then your life would be utterly ruined because that's what you built your life around astronomy instead of God. Then you would have no option to but to commit suicide (traditional Christian argument 3)

I'm not joking about these arguments for turning to Christianity, even if they don't put it in quite those words. Or sometimes they do.

So believing in something that does not exist is safe because it cannot be destroyed. Clever. JD

I like this hypothetical game...

(February 11, 2013 at 3:57 pm)Zone Wrote: But what if your wife and kids were to die in a horrific car accident? Then your life would be utterly ruined because you built your life around your family instead of God. Then you would have no option to but to commit suicide. (traditional Christian argument)

My life would take a substantial hit. Yes, it would probably devastate me enough to at minimum, contemplate suicide. But my hopes are that I would realize that my family would never want this of me. The best thing I could do is not to dishonor their memory by ending my own life. No deity needed.

(February 11, 2013 at 3:57 pm)Zone Wrote: But what if you were to lose the use of your legs in a horrific car accident? Then your life would be utterly ruined because that's what you built your life around snowboarding instead of God. Then you would have no option to but to commit suicide (traditional Christian argument 2)

I did not build my life around snowboarding. Snowboarding fell into the life I was already building. If I lose my legs, I would be emotionally crushed. However, I've seen quite a few paralyzed/legless people still enjoying the snow. Although I wouldn't be snowboarding, I'd still be shredding the pow somehow. Suicide is not an option. No deity needed.

(February 11, 2013 at 3:57 pm)Zone Wrote: You're never ceased to be amazed by the because you see the hand of the one who weaved that tapestry of stars into the very heavens and you marvel at his divine glory and goodness. But what if your eyes are burned out in a horrific car accident? Then your life would be utterly ruined because that's what you built your life around astronomy instead of God. Then you would have no option to but to commit suicide (traditional Christian argument 3)

I see no God in the stars. In fact, looking up is what sparked my road to non-belief. That's right, the very stars that you claim were made by the hands of God are what made me believe that she does not exist. I do see glory and goodness, but it is through chaos. The Universe is filled to the brim with things that can kill us in an instant. Massive stars exploding and creating absolute destruction in its wake. Yet, that destruction brings life. Asteroids bombarding planets constantly. Yet, sometimes they bring water. The Universe is orderly in a completely non-orderly way.

I could lose my eyes, but I won't lose my love of Astronomy. The visuals are only a minute part of it. No deity needed.