Taqiyya Mockingbird Wrote:I am not sure about this condlstruct of "inherent meaning". It seems to me to be another theist mental trap. I find plenty of what could be termed as mraning in my life. Life is what one makes of it.
I do believe that inherent meaning is a big draw to religion. After all, thinking that an all-powerful deity has you best interests at heart is enticing.
You say that 'life is what one makes of it,' which I agree with, but an atheist must first answer the questions of 'can my life have meaning' and 'does my life have meaning' before he/she can get to that step. Some people get stuck on those questions their whole lives, so my point is that the atheist has to overcome more existential hurdles, if you will.
Taqiyya Mockingbird Wrote:I enjoy living, and I would never consider suicide as a "way out" of hard times.
I am not even sure about it for myself in the context of euthanasia. I like being alive too much ...
Many people that commit suicide like being alive too, however, it's a matter of the pain vs. the pleasure you get out of life. What they really want is to be alive and free of pain, but if that pain becomes too overwhelming, they will opt for the next best things, which is to enter the oblivion through death.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
