If Life is Meaningless Anyway, then What's Wrong with Religion?

[Excited Penguin]

No one ever chooses to die because of that. That's ridiculous. They choose to die because they are unhappy and/or mentally challenged. In the future I suspect it will be far more unlikely for someone to wish to kill themselves because of those reasons.

 *Bold mine*

How could you possibly know something like that with such certainty though?  You can't be inside every person's head who's ever lived and died.  I worked in a nursing home (a lovely, bright, and lively nursing home.  Believe it or not, they do exist!) for two years.  There were plenty of generally healthy folk in their late 90's (and even early 100's) who were just...ready.  Content to be done.   Or, at least they said so, and why would anyone not believe them?

We can't believe them because it's impossible and it doesn't make any sense. They were done with living because of the ailments of old age, not because they were just simply tired of it all. Nothing is that simple. There are two possible reasons for one to want to end their life or simply welcome a possible end with open arms. I already mentioned both of them. It can be a bit of both or one more than the other, but there's no other possible reason.

Yes, people could get tired of living. I described why, that's all.

[Excited Penguin]

The 3rd option to unhappy and/or mentally challenge, is that the future does not offer much promise.  At 100, you can be content, but know that there isn't much positive coming your way, and decide to call it quits.

Psychologically, it's impossible to know how the effects of living hundreds or thousands of years would wear on your future outlook.  We see people get tired of individual things that seem pretty great in a matter of hours.  I would assume, after awhile, that might apply to living as well.

No, that's under unhappy. You are unhappy about your prospects in that scenario.

I don't know how content you think the average 100 year old is compared to a twenty year old like me, but I can assure you not very. In the future this might change for a hundred year old person, thus removing at least one of the reasons why someone might want to end it all. We might get to the point where a person is several centuries old and yet functionally just as healthy, energetic and handsome as a thirty year-old is right now.

[Angrboda]

Maybe they're unhappy because they're tired.

[LadyForCamus]

 *Bold mine*

How could you possibly know something like that with such certainty though?  You can't be inside every person's head who's ever lived and died.  I worked in a nursing home (a lovely, bright, and lively nursing home.  Believe it or not, they do exist!) for two years.  There were plenty of generally healthy folk in their late 90's (and even early 100's) who were just...ready.  Content to be done.   Or, at least they said so, and why would anyone not believe them?

We can't believe them because it's impossible and it doesn't make any sense. They were done with living because of the ailments of old age, not because they were just simply tired of it all. Nothing is that simple. There are two possible reasons for one to want to end their life or simply welcome a possible end with open arms. I already mentioned both of them. It can be a bit of both or one more than the other, but there's no other possible reason.

Yes, people could get tired of living. I described why, that's all.

So, you're saying if we could eliminate the inevitability of old age and breakdown, everyone would want to live forever? Hmm. Maybe. I'm still not sure that is a reasonable assumption to make though. How would anyone know they'd still enjoy living beyond, say, 600 years if no one has ever actually made it that far? I can sit here right now and say if I were to remain 33 and healthy I'd be thrilled to live for eternity, but how do I know I wouldn't change my mind some 200 years down the line?

[Ravenshire]

Uh wrong, I'd say bees (ironicaly) are the single most important organism. Without them we pretty much die.

Omg, Huggy.  Please don't start on about the BEES!  

Yep. Huggies has been shifting the goalposts around yet again in his constant endeavor to be "right" on pointless points.

At least he's consistent.

[Thumpalumpacus]

... he said, with the certainty of youth ...

Listen -- my grandmother died because she was worn out of living, fighting and beating cancer, and was happy to be relieved of this mortal coil.

You'll discover wisdom when you learn that even speaking for yourself truly is difficult enough. When you deign to speak for everyone, you only reveal yourself to be a fool.

That's unhappiness. I already accounted for that.

No, she was happy, as I have already wrote, and now emphasize so that it doesn't escape your notice again. She was just tired.

You really should stick to speaking for yourself and not others. You're notably inept at the latter.

[Excited Penguin]

We can't believe them because it's impossible and it doesn't make any sense. They were done with living because of the ailments of old age, not because they were just simply tired of it all. Nothing is that simple. There are two possible reasons for one to want to end their life or simply welcome a possible end with open arms. I already mentioned both of them. It can be a bit of both or one more than the other, but there's no other possible reason.

Yes, people could get tired of living. I described why, that's all.

So, you're saying if we could eliminate the inevitability of old age and breakdown, everyone would want to live forever?  Hmm.  Maybe.  I'm still not sure that is a reasonable assumption to make though.  How would anyone know they'd still enjoy living beyond, say, 600 years if no one has ever actually made it that far?  I can sit here right now and say if I were to remain 33 and healthy I'd be thrilled to live for eternity, but how do I know I wouldn't change my mind some 200 years down the line?  

No, if you could eliminate the solvable problem of old-age related breakdown, yes, people wouldn't "tire" of living. They might still want to end their lives, but it would be for other reasons than so-called "tiredness". Do you hear many young healthy folks saying they're done with life, they've lived enough and it's time for them to go now? Why is it that you don't, do you think? Take whatever reason you might come up with to explain that and ask yourself if you think it's unlikely or even impossible that we won't overcome it in the future.

You don't, but neither do you know that you will. If we are to allow for the simple fact that we just don't know what the future might bring or what that particular situation might look like, yet, then both positions expressed here so far are just as invalid. Namely, we don't know either way. We can make assumptions, though. That's what I've been doing, same as all the rest of you who disagree with me at the moment.

[Excited Penguin]

That's unhappiness. I already accounted for that.

No, she was happy, as I have already wrote, and now emphasize so that it doesn't escape your notice again. She was just tired.

You really should stick to speaking for yourself and not others. You're notably inept at the latter.

No happy person is tired. Tiredness is a sign of misery, not well being.

[LastPoet]

No, she was happy, as I have already wrote, and now emphasize so that it doesn't escape your notice again. She was just tired.

You really should stick to speaking for yourself and not others. You're notably inept at the latter.

No happy person is tired. Tiredness is a sign of misery, not well being.

I do like being tired. It makes me want to sleep. It almost lets me sleep like a baby.

[henryp]

The 3rd option to unhappy and/or mentally challenge, is that the future does not offer much promise.  At 100, you can be content, but know that there isn't much positive coming your way, and decide to call it quits.

Psychologically, it's impossible to know how the effects of living hundreds or thousands of years would wear on your future outlook.  We see people get tired of individual things that seem pretty great in a matter of hours.  I would assume, after awhile, that might apply to living as well.

No, that's under unhappy. You are unhappy about your prospects in that scenario.

I don't know how content you think the average 100 year old is compared to a twenty year old like me, but I can assure you not very. In the future this might change for a hundred year old person, thus removing at least one of the reasons why someone might want to end it all. We might get to the point where a person is several centuries old and yet functionally just as healthy, energetic and handsome as a thirty year-old is right now.

You're putting a lot under the 'unhappy' umbrella there.  

I'm on a nice picnic with the family.  We have a nice long day together.  But it looks like rain.  We don't want to get caught out in the rain, so we head home.  We are all in a good mood, because it was a great day.  

You can say we are 'unhappy' at the prospect of being out in the rain, therefore we went home because we were unhappy.  But that's such a broad stroke, I think it losing a lot of meaning.  Especially, as we're all happy as we're heading home.