RE: what do christians (and people in general) mean by "feeling empty inside"?
April 16, 2013 at 2:51 pm
I'm sorry that was your experience, Chad, and if religion really helped you, I don't begrudge it. I personally don't see materialism as implying that the trans-personal values you speak of are not real or important.
And the universe may be a cold place, but it's also a very cool place. The material in my body has existed and will exist as long as the universe. There never has been and never will be again anyone quite like me, or even anyone very close. My story is unique and rare, because for everyone of us there are millions of narratives that could be told but will never, ever happen. My life doesn't have meaning to the universe but it AND the universe have meaning to me. So does Good, Truth, and Beauty. Out of all the possible people I'm one of the few who actually get to exist, and it's amazing. I've been Appalachians-level poor and it was still amazing then. And although I'm not looking forward to my life ending, it feels like greed to complain that it wasn't enough and that it's somehow less because it's temporary. And the bad things in life and the suffering of many people who never had it as good as me on my worst day are sad, but they're not a mystery: the universe IS a cold place, and we're like billions of tiny flames that flutter briefly, some of whom never get to burn very bright at all. But it's still amazing and I can't stay sad in the midst of awesome grandeur.
YMMV.
And the universe may be a cold place, but it's also a very cool place. The material in my body has existed and will exist as long as the universe. There never has been and never will be again anyone quite like me, or even anyone very close. My story is unique and rare, because for everyone of us there are millions of narratives that could be told but will never, ever happen. My life doesn't have meaning to the universe but it AND the universe have meaning to me. So does Good, Truth, and Beauty. Out of all the possible people I'm one of the few who actually get to exist, and it's amazing. I've been Appalachians-level poor and it was still amazing then. And although I'm not looking forward to my life ending, it feels like greed to complain that it wasn't enough and that it's somehow less because it's temporary. And the bad things in life and the suffering of many people who never had it as good as me on my worst day are sad, but they're not a mystery: the universe IS a cold place, and we're like billions of tiny flames that flutter briefly, some of whom never get to burn very bright at all. But it's still amazing and I can't stay sad in the midst of awesome grandeur.
YMMV.
