new2me Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Yesterday, I had a doctor appointment for a routine exam. Before I had the procedure done, the assistant asked me to check that my insurance would cover it because it hadn't been 365 days since my last one. I knew I had discussed this with the person who scheduled my appointment and thought I had cleared it up, but decided I should call my insurance company to be on the safe side. Sure enough, the assistant was right, and I had to get dressed, reschedule the appointment and go back to work. It sure was annoying to have gone through that hassle and big waste of time. As I drove home, I reminded myself that my days on this Earth are limited. I am healthy, I have a great family, and life is good. Why waste a single minute getting worked up about stupid stuff? In the past I might have allowed myself to be upset for some period of time, perhaps thinking in the back of my mind about how perfect everything would be in heaven. Nope. Not doing that now. Of course, you don't have to be an atheist to have a good attitude on life. But in some cases, it helps!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I've found that my thinking is completely different in almost every way now that I'm a decade in. I don't really get angry anymore. I get testy and will snark at stuff, but it's usually due to frustration at willful ignorance or deliberate dishonesty or discourtesy. Genesis P.Orridge once said, "Change your perceptions and change all memories." I've never found anything more true. I can no longer remember what it was like to be a believer. The things I did back then seem like another person was doing them. I can almost see it as "movie" type memory, rather than from first person perspective. There are so many things that someone without "eternity" can just... let go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam5 Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 In the past I might have allowed myself to be upset for some period of time, perhaps thinking in the back of my mind about how perfect everything would be in heaven. Nope. Not doing that now. Always jam tomorrow with religion. So whats so great about heaven anyway. Endless singing of "Holy, Holy, Holy". Sounds a bit like an ego-maniac ass-hole imho edit: btw nice post new2me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2me Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 It's funny because I used to think that being an atheist would be so depressing because you think this life is all there is. But in reality it makes me value this life so much more. I can't say that I never get worked up about anything, but I guess I want to be more selective about who (or what) gets my goat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipper Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Heaven perfect? It's funny, heaven is a concept I had trouble accepting when I was a kid even though I thought I was a christian. I used to argue with my sunday school teacher that if we're talking about eternal life, what you are doing is irrelevant, it's basically all torture, heaven and hell alike. One day I want it all to stop, heaven does not appeal to me in the slightest. Sure, I'd love to be able to choose how much time I get and when it all ends, but then again if you knew life wouldn't be very exciting. I was told back then that my finite brain just couldn't comprehend it, of course I told my teacher I didn't think he understood what forever meant either. I got a good ole fashioned whoopin' for that one when my dad found out, which I laugh about now. Eventually I bought into the whole thing and tried to convince myself it wouldn't be so bad but for a long time I was worried about how I could be a good christian when I didn't want to go to heaven. Now that I'm an atheist I realize that I was on the right track as a kid and I think my doubts back then helped me develop into the non-believer I am today. Sure we all get wrapped around the axle every once in a while but life is indeed good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2me Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 I think I was just very good about lying to myself about heaven and hell. I thought the idea of sitting around singing praises to god all day sounded frightfully boring, so I imagined that heaven was just a happy place where there would be no pain or suffering. I also liked the idea of flying around in my "glorified body"... that would take a while to get old! I could not stomach the idea of people really being roasted for eternity, so I decided that hell was really just an eternal separation from god - something sad and lonely but not painful. I tried not to get too wrapped up in the specifics of who actually went there. I think my brain got tired of having to try to make sense of Christianity and just cried out ENOUGH. Things make so much more sense here on the "other side." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 It's funny because I used to think that being an atheist would be so depressing because you think this life is all there is. But in reality it makes me value this life so much more. I can't say that I never get worked up about anything, but I guess I want to be more selective about who (or what) gets my goat. Right. The thing that kinda adds to the whole surreal feeling of atheism is pausing for a second and looking out at the world and it continues to spin as it always did and you pass by people with fish on their car and see people getting out of hand for trivial matters. It changes YOU not the world. You see things differently now. Its like being a baby all over again trying to make sense of the world and how you should react to things. I completely feel you on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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