Why? - Atheism & Secular Philosophies

shirleyj227

Posts: 10,784

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:49PM, costrel wrote:

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:43PM, shirleyj227 wrote:
Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:34PM, costrel wrote:
I'd personally prefer to be remembered by a few family and friends for a brief while after I have died rather than have people far in the distant future recall me.

Yes that would be nice but as you know my family are all gone.

Shirley

But you have friends -- and me.

Yes thank you. You hold away the thought of death for me.

Shirley

shirleyj227

Posts: 10,784

I want to be clear the WHY is about the fear of death. Do you not have it?

Shirley

Eudaimonist

Posts: 2,036

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:38PM, shirleyj227 wrote:
I know Mark but has there not been times in your life when you needed a reason?

I can't say that I've had much existential angst in my life. I've always found values that make life worth living. They don't have to be grand values either. Sometimes it's just anticipating movies based on some novel I've enjoyed in the past, such as the Lord of the Rings movies.

But I always locate my reasons in this life, and never outside.

Also, I don't try to force meaning onto life. There is an unusual aspect to happiness, and that is that it can't be achieved directly. It can only be approached indirectly. It's almost something that has to sneak up on you from behind, as you do things that suit you.

So, I do what I enjoy and find interesting and challenging. Meaning catches up.

eudaimonia,

Mark

costrel

Posts: 6,161

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:50PM, shirleyj227 wrote:
Being an atheist does not really fix anything does it.

Shirley

That all depends on what we want it to fix, I suppose. Atheism doesn't seem to particularly fix our human struggles for meaning, purpose, and value, nor does it seem to particularly fix our human knowledge of our own mortality. Theism, though, doesn't particularly seem to fix those things, either. Saint Therese of Lisieux and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, for instance, are two examples of theists who seemed to struggle through much of their lives with a search for meaning and purpose.

JCarlin

Posts: 4,798

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:19PM, shirleyj227 wrote:

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:14PM, JCarlin wrote:

Then find an old dream and make it happen.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you could not dream of better things. I ask you because you seem honest.

Shirley

Many times. Which is why old dreams had to do. And each time the old dream led to new ones. As a result I keep a stock of old dreams around for emergencies.

J'Carlin
If the shoe doesn't fit, don't cram your foot in it and complain.

shirleyj227

Posts: 10,784

Oct 6, 2011 -- 6:01PM, Eudaimonist wrote:

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:38PM, shirleyj227 wrote:
I know Mark but has there not been times in your life when you needed a reason?

I can't say that I've had much existential angst in my life. I've always found values that make life worth living. They don't have to be grand values either. Sometimes it's just anticipating movies based on some novel I've enjoyed in the past, such as the Lord of the Rings movies.

But I always locate my reasons in this life, and never outside.

Also, I don't try to force meaning onto life. There is an unusual aspect to happiness, and that is that it can't be achieved directly. It can only be approached indirectly. It's almost something that has to sneak up on you from behind, as you do things that suit you.

So, I do what I enjoy and find interesting and challenging. Meaning catches up.

eudaimonia,

Mark

Yes I also in the past have seen it that way.

Shirley

Kwinters

Posts: 17,683

Oct 6, 2011 -- 3:54PM, shirleyj227 wrote:

All my life I have been positive but lately I have been thinking why? I do not see the reason to live. I mean it all ends in death anyway.

Shirley

Suicide crosses my mind on a pretty regular basis, but I'm too unmotivated to actually follow through. It's a pretty messy affair so I take the path of least resistance.

Buddha called death his greatest teacher. On the one had it can give you a sense of motivation, it's can be a ticking clock if you need a kick up the backside.

On the other hand it can prevent us from taking things too seriously and becoming obsessed with the minutiae of our lives.

Reason to live? There isn't a single one. There are the reasons that we take seriously and mostly it comes down to human relationships. And sometimes they suck too.

Jesus had two dads, and he turned out alright.~ Andy Gussert

“Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its battles have been for education, for the vote, for better working conditions…for safety on the streets…for child care, for social welfare…for rape crisis centers, women’s refuges, reforms in the law.

If someone says, “Oh, I’m not a feminist,” I ask, “Why, what’s your problem?”

Dale Spender

Eudaimonist

Posts: 2,036

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:59PM, shirleyj227 wrote:
I want to be clear the WHY is about the fear of death. Do you not have it?

No, I have had fears of dying at a young age, thereby losing out on a lot of life potential. I love life, so naturally I don't want it to end too soon.

But I don't fear death as such. Dying a long, painful death, yes. But being dead? No.

It's not like I'll be a ghost thinking to myself how terrible it is that I'm dead. There wouldn't be any pain or suffering for me to endure.

Now, I'm not saying that nonexistence isn't a freaky thought. I can understand being creeped out by that. But after facing the thought squarely, I can't say that I find it that bad. As I see it, while the past may disappear from the present, it is never really erased. It has happened, and will always have happened. Past moments of one's life shine like jewels in eternity.

eudaimonia,

Mark

JCarlin

Posts: 4,798

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:59PM, shirleyj227 wrote:

I want to be clear the WHY is about the fear of death. Do you not have it?

Shirley

You can find an extended answer on Thinking About Death. It is an atheist's answer.

The short answer is I do not fear death.

J'Carlin
If the shoe doesn't fit, don't cram your foot in it and complain.

shirleyj227

Posts: 10,784

Oct 6, 2011 -- 6:01PM, costrel wrote:

Oct 6, 2011 -- 5:50PM, shirleyj227 wrote:
Being an atheist does not really fix anything does it.

Shirley

That all depends on what we want it to fix, I suppose. Atheism doesn't seem to particularly fix our human struggles for meaning, purpose, and value, nor does it seem to particularly fix our human knowledge of our own mortality. Theism, though, doesn't particularly seem to fix those things, either. Saint Therese of Lisieux and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, for instance, are two examples of theists who seemed to struggle through much of their lives with a search for meaning and purpose.

I know but can atheist ideology fix things?

Shirley

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