Shyone Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 If the present were not so gratifying to you, you would have no desire for it to continue. Oh, that's priceless. I should put that on a refrigerator magnet. Of course that's why we want to live forever. Because we love life! And if we don't, then what's the point of a pointless eternity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyApathy Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 If the present were not so gratifying to you, you would have no desire for it to continue. Oh, that's priceless. I should put that on a refrigerator magnet. Of course that's why we want to live forever. Because we love life! And if we don't, then what's the point of a pointless eternity? can you respond to my Q tho ? :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 I'm an atheist, and depressed due to there being nothing after this life. Everything just seems so pointless due to it. If an afterlife is necessary to fill this life with meaning, then what is going to give the afterlife meaning? An AFTER-afterlife? If you keep waiting for the future to make the present significant, then you will wait forever without perceiving any significance. If life in and of itself does not having meaning, then tacking on more of it is not going to give it meaning. 0+0=0. And if life itself has meaning, then there is no need to have a follow-on. 1+nothing=1. Truly, life is the point, and every moment of life has "eternal" value. Life occupies its own finite space in time, and that's OK. There is no need for it to clatter on forever like some kind of bezerk machine. Well, it gives meaning because the people you love will always be with you. You will always see them, forever. You can be more than a mere accident of nature, too. It'd mean there's a point to all of this. And if the people you loved were in God's torture chamber (Hell)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 If the present were not so gratifying to you, you would have no desire for it to continue. Oh, that's priceless. I should put that on a refrigerator magnet. Of course that's why we want to live forever. Because we love life! And if we don't, then what's the point of a pointless eternity? can you respond to my Q tho ? :/ The last question I read was when you asked me if I believed in reincarnation. I don't. I believe that we are a part of the universe, and as such our matter continues even if we are "asleep." If you're wondering "What's so great about dying?" I'm not sure how to answer that. I'm not looking forward to it personally, but like epicurus said, when we are alive, death has not come, but when death comes, we are not. So why worry? If our wish to last for eternity relates to a desire to keep doing what we are doing now, then we should enjoy what we are doing now or there is no point to now - or eternity. I guess that part of the adult in me just says to the child in me, "You can't have that." The child in me cries and throws a tantrum, but I got over it and moved on to things I can have and enjoy. I was disappointed when I learned that Santa wasn't real. It would have been so nice if he existed. I want him to exist. But I can't waste my life being disappointed in something that isn't real - and never was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrel Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Hi Ashley. I really never had feelings like this, if anything I was more that my family members who aren't "saved" won't go to hell. The idea of my being dead does not disturb me. I am more concerned with the idea of all intelligent observers being dead--seems like there should be a Restaurant at the End of the Universe. But there isn't, and really that's ok. I wonder, in general, are you happy? Being happy in the present tends to make you less likely to worry about the distant future. If you're unhappy in general maybe solving that would go a long way towards resolving your existential anxiety. Maybe this worry is the result of other concerns, and addressing those will make this concern vanish as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrel Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Well she'd be with whichever she wants if any. Ah, bringing the problems of earthly life into the afterlife. . . What if one of them that she doesn't want wants her? And well doesn't it depress you that you can't be with the love of your life forever? That's what's really getting me down.. Every night I go to sleep and become unconscious of everything, including my husband's existence. Yet I do not fear sleep. True, so far I have awakened in the morning, but death will be like a sleep that never ends, and if I go into it and never wake, I will never suffer separation. It's a little different if your loved ones die before you do. But anyone grieves a death, even if they believe they will be reunited in the afterlife. You still have to go through each day without that person. And eventually the pain fades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 There's a whole fascinating life to live in the here and now. Oh okay. And true, in ways... But still feels pointless. And makes me feel scared to get close to anyone, because if something happens to them it's not like I'll see them again.. You wouldn't refuse the love of a pet because it will "someday" die, would you? The point of life is to live it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 There's a whole fascinating life to live in the here and now. Oh okay. And true, in ways... But still feels pointless. And makes me feel scared to get close to anyone, because if something happens to them it's not like I'll see them again.. You wouldn't refuse the love of a pet because it will "someday" die, would you? The point of life is to live it. Someone once said that we should enjoy the dance, even if we know it will end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 I just wanted to spend forever with the love of my life... It just makes me feel miserable knowing i can't. But here's the thing: This life IS our "forever"! It's not as though you're going to be conscious of being separated from your loves ones once you die. You won't be dead and thinking, "Darn, here I am all alone in the vast nothingness of non-existence." You aren't going to be miserable then, so why be miserable now? I understand how you feel, for I went though it a bit myself. However, though I still have little moments of panic at the thought of extinction, overall I think I'm coming to terms with it. It makes *this* life so much more valuable! I can no longer understand Christians wishing their lives away and being anxious to get to their reward in the sky. (Besides, I always thought heaven sounded deadly boring.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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