No GOD? No Afterlife? No Point to Life.

a reply to: Metallicus
I don't think that there has to be a point to life. Just live it. For many years heavy metal was my point to life until I had kids. I didn't need anything else. Although there could be some kind of afterlife, there is no use worrying about it because there's nothing you can do about it either way.

a reply to: knightsofcydonia

The trouble is that even if you do achieve the bliss state what do you do to the rest of the people around you that have no clue and no want to even go after the bliss state.

You become caught up in a duality between those that can achieve this and have and those that choose not to achieve it. And many people are putting the en-light-ened crowd on a pedestal since they have not achieved it making assumptions about them that are wrong/simplyfications.

originally posted by: Metallicus

originally posted by: ed1320
Regardless of what anyone thinks we will never know the answer. That is until we die then we cant tell anyone that is alive. I hope there is something else other then black ive lost to many and that is one thing that terrifies me nothing at the end. I think were like batteries when the energy is out were done. The thought of nothing just scares me so much.

See, your perspective is just weird to me. I have had enough of the veil lifted that I DO KNOW there is life after death. There are definitely more lifetimes than this one. Do I know the exact nature of God or tomorrows lotto numbers? No, but I do KNOW there is more than this life.

I agree that sometimes we take the not knowing the specifics and therefor thinking they have no clue a bit to far.

Life after death is the poorly thought-out fiction of mortals that have gotten greedy.....accept your mortality, embrace the fact that this is your one any only shot at existence and grab it with both hands while we fly around the cosmos on this rock.

When you die, you won't be disappointed.

a reply to: Metallicus

A question i have often asked myself, I think the answer is simple an Atheist is content/happy to enjoy and live life in the moment and not concern themselves with the afterlife.
In some respects this point of view is bang on, the present is what's important to a large degree, i think what worries people about the atheist is the perception that they lack a moral compass as there is no higher power to answer to, but generally i find this point of view false and most atheist's are pretty nice people.

Also most Atheist's i have met are not really 100% so, i think Plato summed it up nicely with "no man has ever died an atheist"

originally posted by: JokerThe1st
a reply to: Metallicus
Also most Atheist's i have met are not really 100% so, i think Plato summed it up nicely with "no man has ever died an atheist"

So you've never met an Atheist.

originally posted by: Metallicus
If you believe there is no God or afterlife what is the point of life? If we are on this rock for one short life, a relative blink of an eye in geologic terms and never return then what is the point?

To be, to enjoy, to live, to LOVE, to cry, to experience, to laugh, to contribute to the goodwill that exists in the world, to ride a roller coaster 10 times in a row, to have kids, to meet intriguing people, to travel and see the world, to smell puppy breath, to appreciate the beauty of the planet, to feel an ocean wave, to have meaningful and in-depth discussions, to LEARN for the sake of it... Life is FANTASTIC! There's every reason to want to live a full and productive life!

Anyway, if I lived in an ignorant state where I believed my life was one and done and there is nothing else then I would see no point to living.

That's your problem. I don't have that problem. Your judgment that atheism is an "ignorant state" is all in your own mind, and not at all true.

I would see little point in dealing with it as I would see myself and everyone else as irrelevant and pointless.

Again, that's how you would feel (and it sounds pretty miserable). It's certainly not a requirement for everyone. I'm sorry that you could not embrace life for what it is - more beautiful and wonderful than words can describe - without the thought of a creator or afterlife.

So, how do you atheists live such empty lives?

If you think the above list sounds like an "empty life", I can't help you.

Check out this thread: www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: Metallicus

So, how do you atheists live such empty lives? Why do you even bother?

Ok. First, lets deal with this for the umpteen thousandth time. Being an atheist does not preclude one from being spiritual. Atheists have one thing in common. A lack of belief in a god/goddess, divinity, deity, etc. After that, atheists can be as different from one another as night and day.

I am an atheist. For me, there is no god/goddess. However, I don't have a problem with the idea of an entity that could be infinitely smarter than I am, and therefore light years ahead of my ability to comprehend. That however, does not qualify that entity for godhood or divinity. And if there is such an entity(s), I seriously doubt it/they find our reverence, worship, and fear, anything desirable to attain.

If you believe there is no God or afterlife what is the point of life? If we are on this rock for one short life, a relative blink of an eye in geologic terms and never return then what is the point?

Ask a mosquito what the point of its life is. Why bother, if all you're gonna accomplish is blood-sucking and perpetuation of the species?

You answered your question in your own thread...

From my perspective we are tempered throughout many lifetimes and over time learn from our past mistakes. Each of us has a chance to help mankind evolve and make the Earth better for ourselves and humanity for future lifetimes. That being said physical life is meant to be hard. This isn't a utopia. People learn humility love and compassion from the hard times more than the easy ones.

If you truly believe what you wrote, you already know what the point is for those who believe the "1 and done" life. It's bolded above. The question is redundant and rhetorical. From your perspective, each soul is being tempered in this life, for the next one, and the next one. In other words, they'll know better next time, or the time after that.

Anyway, if I lived in an ignorant state where I believed my life was one and done and there is nothing else then I would see no point to living. This world is more pain and suffering than joyful. I would see little point in dealing with it as I would see myself and everyone else as irrelevant and pointless.

First off, just because someone believes different than you don't mean they are living in an "ignorant state".

If you have far more pain than joy in your life then you are doing something wrong. Yes life has some pain in it but it also has some joy & love. I feel sorry for you that you have experience so little of it.

The point of life is to live it, nothing else.

Humans have to feel there has to be a reason for life, an end goal. Since you don't know what it is you can never feel fulfilled.

Why does a dog live his life? Why not just run in front of a car as soon as he can walk? He eats, drinks and enjoys the company of his owners. He cares about the people around him and lives for the companionship. Does he lay around all day depressed and wonder what comes after he dies? Does he wonder what the meaning of life is?

"Life is about the journey, not the destination".

If you take a trip across your country and think only about the destination and pay no attention to the journey you have missed everything beautiful along the way and when you get there the whole trip was disappointing and the destination was not much different than the place you started.

Turn on the radio, roll down the window and enjoy the trip.

a reply to: Metallicus

If you believe there is no God or afterlife what is the point of life? If we are on this rock for one short life, a relative blink of an eye in geologic terms and never return then what is the point?

Surely if this is all there is then it makes life MORE valuable and more precious? We can't treat it like a dress rehearsal.

So many religious people put themselves through misery while they are alive in the hope of some reward after they die.

I'd rather enjoy this life, thank you very much. Be good, be moral, and don't fret about what some ancient textbook says about fire and brimstone.

Well speaking as a person who does not believe in a afterlife/god/karma I agree on some level there really isn't a point to it all however that doesn't stop me from trying to enjoy the now or love those around me and do good deeds when I can.

So what if there is no point to it all why should that effect me?

As I was reading the thread this song was playing. Not a perfect fit but it seems appropriate.



BTW the idea of nothing after death for me sounds like a long deserved rest.

Life can be great and it can suck I have experienced/felt both. There are those certainly less fortunate than myself whose only joy is hope in an after life and I will not try to rob them of their dream. The belief in afterlife is a human condition remedied by improving education and life standards which I was fortunate enough to have enjoyed. Life can be a hell or heaven if one wishes to use those comparisons. Maybe someday our species will move beyond the biological with the aid of technology to what we would now consider godhood. The next generation may experience that if not the generation after. To them I hope they appreciate such a gift from mankind.

I would argue that with a god or afterlife, there is still no real point to life (in the sense that those two things supply a point).

Seriously, if one's only understood reason for life is to serve an unknown god so that they can either live for eternity with that god or be reincarnated to do it all over again, those don't seem like that great of a reason for life to exist.

Why does everyone have to think there needs to be some existential, spiritual or otherwise "point to life."

Does a life without a point make it anything less than it already is? I would argue that it does not.

The point, scientifically speaking, is to pass on your genes.

Philosophically speaking, it's to have fun while you're doing it, be nice and hopefully make the world a slightly better place by being in it.

It's not rocket science.

a reply to: mwood

First off, just because someone believes different than you don't mean they are living in an "ignorant state".

I apologize to you if I didn't convey my thoughts properly. I wasn't implying that others were ignorant. I was saying that if I was ignorant of what I believe. My apologies for my lack of elocution.

a reply to: lightedhype

Personally I believe that means your soul or what have you must have reached a certain stage of enlightenment through lessons learned in physical lives - a stage of enlightenment enough to where it allows you to see through the veil so to speak.

I don't think that I am more enlightened in any way than others. In fact, knowing some of my past lives only reinforces my humility. I have done bad things in past lives. Imagine any regret you have from this life, even if it is just something you didn't do that you should have, then multiply it by extra lifetimes and you find yourself very very humble.

originally posted by: Prezbo369
Life after death is the poorly thought-out fiction of mortals that have gotten greedy.....accept your mortality, embrace the fact that this is your one any only shot at existence and grab it with both hands while we fly around the cosmos on this rock.

When you die, you won't be disappointed.

This is silly to me. If you have been to Rome and then I tell you that Rome doesn't exist wouldn't you think I was foolish? I hope this illustrates to you how your statement comes across to me.

a reply to: Metallicus

So... do you feel like your question was answered?

originally posted by: Metallicus
This is silly to me. If you have been to Rome and then I tell you that Rome doesn't exist wouldn't you think I was foolish? I hope this illustrates to you how your statement comes across to me.

Yeah because Rome and the afterlife are like for like....I tell you what, the next time I go to rome i'll take some pics/videos and bring back a few souvenirs, and you do the same the next time you visit the afterlife ok?....

I hope you realise.....ah no nvm you probably won't....

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
a reply to: Metallicus

So... do you feel like your question was answered?

I suppose. Perhaps it is like being born blind. You enjoy your life because you don't know of any other way to live.

originally posted by: Prezbo369
I tell you what, the next time I go to rome i'll take some pics/videos and bring back a few souvenirs, and you do the same the next time you visit the afterlife ok?....

If I went to Rome and I forgot to take pictures it wouldn't make it any less real or your statement any less foolish sounding to me.

I still know Rome exists