(February 7, 2016 at 1:09 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Christians and Muslims and Jews and Hindus, and even Buddhists, all make the argument for some sort of afterlife and all of them argue, "if this is it, what is the point"?
While you'd like to mentally think that going on forever, is the only way to stay positive, that is false comfort. We get the idea appeals to you, many of us wanted to believe in a fictional forever too. But it is simply not true.
NOW, sorry, but it is simply a needles fear you self inflict on yourself. Nothing lasts forever, but that does not mean we cant value or enjoy our finite ride. That is simply absurd.
You go to a movie knowing it will end and you can still enjoy it. You go to a music concert knowing it will end and still enjoy it. You go to a sporting event, knowing one team will win and the other will lose, but you still go and enjoy it. You read a book knowing it has a last page, but you still read it. You get a pet knowing it will die, and still get another one and still enjoy the time you had with them.
So "what is the point" matters in context of time. In the cosmic history of 14 billion years, there is no point. But in the short term while we are alive and our species exists, we certainly DO matter. Our species has it within us to invent things to improve the human condition, and extend not only our individual lives, but our species ride..
My mom has a saying I have on a piece of paper I have in my vehicle, "Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened".
Now, while it is ok to mourn, it is absurd to be scared of things no human can avoid. Life has both good and bad in it, and ups and downs in it. But the ride ends for all life, so why not just do the best we can and enjoy it while it lasts.
The belief in the afterlife in many cases, comes and becomes stronger with the amounts of misery we witness as humans.
Enjoying life is an understandable route; all religious people enjoy themselves too, but what makes me come back praying and reading the Quran, is simply the misery inflicted on our specie.
I do enjoy my life. But I also know that currently, millions are starving & thousands are being used as forced labor, just so we -on the other side of the world- enjoy and have fun. The joy is just mixed with a bitter taste, that reminds me of blood.
Seeing the amounts of obesity in the U.S , then look at the hunger rates in Africa is enough to make the point I cite clear, Brian.
To enjoy your life here, you must use somebody else; it depends on the "mysterious" distribution of wealth that people inherit since the day they are born. Some start from zero, yes, but what about the environment ? Bottom line is : it's all about how lucky you are.
Being a finite ride, I question the limitation, duration & the distribution of wealth quite often.
Yes we can enjoy, but I can't sleep at night knowing that others are dying from hunger, just because they were born in another region.
Add to that the violence happening in conflict areas.
I like to have fun. I need it too. But I can't ignore the cries & screams of people who are being hurt, while I'm having a blast.
