Atheists life motive

[Esquilax]

I mean, if I go to the same place as any pedophiliac bastard, if the end is the same, is the satisfaction of helping others and being good enough to get me out of bed in the morning? Why should I contribute to this society and not simply have fun?

Broadly speaking, we are wired to feel pleasure from helping others; even if you limit that to just your family and friends, you're still enriching the world by making them happy and giving them worthwhile experiences. We can't all be crusaders or heroes, but we can be good people who are worth knowing, and in the end, that's enough for me.

Besides, this idea that this life is pointless because it ends and we all end up dead is a religious one, and you need to kill it now. Scarcity is what makes something valuable, not abundance; that's why I can buy a candy bar for a couple bucks, but I can't buy gold for that. The fact that your life is short is what makes it precious, and you owe it to yourself to make it the best life possible because, at the end of the day, it's the only one you have. What you leave behind matters, and if that's happy memories then that seems like a life worth living to me.

[LostLocke]

When one decides one day to kill his God and live bullshit-free, one has to recreate his whole philosophy and values from scratch.

That, I would say, really depends on the person.

For me, when I left all my beliefs behind, I realized that I had all my values all along. It was for the sake of religion that I had to adjust or compromise them, not the other way around.
I already had value for life and humanity, but I had to twist them to fit whatever belief system I was under at the time.

[ThePinsir]

My motive in life?

I'd like to compete in and win bodybuilding competitions, hopefully at the national level one day.
Achieve a 700lb raw deadlift.
I'd like to maybe raise a family one day.
To appreciate nature and music.
To learn literally everything I can about everything.
Get a fulfilling career.

Without a cosmic Sadam Hussein hanging over us, the motive of one's life is his or her own to decide for him/herself!

[Napoléon]

Being FREE is a really fucking scary thing.

Scarier than the threat of eternal damnation? Some people need to get their priorities checked. And I don't mean to be condescending by that. But seriously, are you telling me that the thought of no god, and no eternal consequences, is scarier than some almighty being watching over our every move, judging us for what we think?

[Angrboda]

Purpose? We don't need no stinking purpose!



I'm not an atheist, but before I was Hindu, I was Taoist. Taoism is about accepting things as they are and realizing that things are good "just the way they are." That being said, goals and meaning drift in and out of my life, like waves crashing on a beach; sometimes the tide is out for a very long time.

We do things for a lot of reasons:

• Inertia
  Somebody suggested it
  Our parents did it that way
  It's just plain fun
  Felt like it
  Wanted to do the wrong thing
  It's expected of you...

The reasons will always be there. Maybe there's two levels. The reasons which move you throughout the day, the mundane reasons. And then there's goals, ambition, and purpose. You can have the first without the second. You won't die from it.

Life doesn't have to be all about purpose. Sometimes life is just... life.

[SteelCurtain]

The stages of the de-conversion are pretty predictable. At some point, hopefully pretty soon, you'll get your motivation to get up and live from the realization that you have but one chance at this, and you better make good on it.

I've got one life, and every day (I feel guilty now because everytime I think about this I think: "Am I doing enough?") I wake up and do the things that make my life fulfilling. I kiss my girl, I play with my dog, I talk to my family and friends, I go to work so I can pay for the things I want to do and make me happy, I take advantage of all the opportunities I get and try not to squander anything.

[Freedom of thought]

You can chose whatever meaning you want it to have, and religious people make that religion. But I think that even that points out a greater meaningfulness to life, since those religious people had the freedom to make their purpose: The greatest thing about life I think, is freedom. We are collections of synapses (well our brains), I don't think that detracts from anything. If we didn't have those synapses we wouldn't be posting on this board. Anyway, what's not to like about life? There's irony, love, music, art and an immense cosmos to appreciate. Or, as Christopher Hitchens put it "Well, I can only answer for myself. What cheers me up?" Um. I suppose mainly gloating over the misfortunes of other people.". Sure, life isn't perfect, but it's all we have, so make the most of it by treating others with respect and greeting them with a smile, lets all laugh together to our graves; Before we get there let's also make our dreams a reality, and make a difference in the world.

Another thing that motivates me is knowledge. Knowing more about the world than I did yesterday. There is an almost infinite amount of knowledge to be had, and understanding the laws of the universe is an enlightening experience.

[Elskidor]

My only motive is to be a good husband and father, and love my family. That probably is a cheesy as it sounds, but it works for me. Sure, I have a couple goals I would like to finish before I die, but leaving something behind for future generations is not important to me. I have all I will ever truly want and need with me already. Motive for life? Does there have to be a grander purpose?

[Minimalist]

When one decides one day to kill his God and live bullshit-free, one has to recreate his whole philosophy and values from scratch.

You are seriously over-engineering the issue. Only man has evolved the capacity to think.... and look at the time we waste thinking about nonsense.

[Jason_ab]

I have to say it again. What a great forum. Lots of really smart people gathered here. It's the first time I find that every single reply to a thread is worth pondering.
I keep a journal (Jim Rohn style) and have written more or less all your answers in it for future thinking fuel.
I will ask your opinion about children. Have you tought your children that there is no such thing as God?
Do children that have no notion of God hardwired in their brains have any problem coping with human mortality?