Is purpose/meaning in your life necessary?

[Ken-1122]

That probably might be the case when one is young and has their life ahead of them, but when one gets to their declining years and death and oblivion is just around the corner, what then?

I don't know about you, but at my age (71), many of my past achievements would mean nothing at all, if it is all going to end in death where there is nothing beyond it. If everything I have thought, said and done rots with me in the grave, well, what was the use of it all?

Why get read a good book? Why enjoy a good meal? Why form relationships, get married, or even have children, if when you die you can’t take any of that with you, or a million years from now it will be forgotten? We do those things because it doesn’t matter if those things will be remembered a million years from now; we do it because we enjoy those things today! It isn’t the destination but the journey that counts.

 

[Ken-1122]

Prisons and nuthouses are filled with people that created "their own meaning".

As is the most brilliant and nobel among us

 

[OldWiseGuy]

As is the most brilliant and nobel among us

I agree with that as well.

(Did you mean nobel as in prize, or noble as in virtuous?

 

[Ken-1122]

I had a friend of the family who was in the Western Desert in World War 2, fighting the Germans. He said there were plenty of atheists in his company of fellow soldiers. He said that when the air raids came over, or the shells started falling, they would jump into the slit trenches and pray for all their worth, "O God please protect me. I don't want to die!"

Experience wins over an argument every time.

Remember in post #106 you spoke of people posing as Christians but are not genuine ones due to their actions? Well these soldiers your friend told you about were only posing as Atheists, they weren’t genuine atheists due to their actions. (Two can play that game you know)

 

[quatona]

atheistic/evolutionary abortion

You really have a way with words.

 

[bhsmte]

This is not about me at all. I have no fear of death, because I know what is going to happen after it for me.

How do you know?

 

[bhsmte]

Prisons and nuthouses are filled with people that created "their own meaning".

Prisons and nuthouses are filled with people of all stripes.

 

[Ken-1122]

I agree with that as well.

(Did you mean nobel as in prize, or noble as in virtuous?

Yeah; I meant noble. Thanks for pointing that out for me.

 

[ToddNotTodd]

I don't think many are "led to all manner of atrocities" by Christianity today, whereas atheistic/evolutionary abortion is an atrocity on a grand scale.

Sigh...

What I was trying to do in the past couple of exchanges was to show how silly and divisive it is to use hyperbole when talking to people on the other side of the fence.

Not only do you not acknowledge this, but you insist on ramping up the rhetoric.

I don’t like saying this, but behavior like yours is toxic to society.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Sigh...

What I was trying to do in the past couple of exchanges was to show how silly and divisive it is to use hyperbole when talking to people on the other side of the fence.

Not only do you not acknowledge this, but you insist on ramping up the rhetoric.

I don’t like saying this, but behavior like yours is toxic to society.

May I refer you to your post, #103, which started the "toxic hyperbole" in the first place?

Rhetoric and behavior aren't the same thing. Rhetoric (like mine) usually follows the bad behavior; the toxicity; of others. Also, I do bite my tongue regarding words I would like to use to describe those who actually engage in bad behavior, including those who we pay to address said behavior.

 

[bhsmte]

Rhetoric and behavior aren't the same thing. Rhetoric (like mine) usually follows the bad behavior of others. Also, I do bite my tongue regarding words I would like to use to describe those who actually engage in bad behavior, including those who we pay to address said behavior.

The type and style of rhetoric is driven by one's own personal behavoir.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The type and style of rhetoric is driven by one's own personal behavoir.

I agree somewhat. I eschew bad behavior, so I rail against it.

 

[ToddNotTodd]

May I refer you to your post, #103, which started the "toxic hyperbole" in the first place?

You mean the post that included the line "Now how about we both stop this nonsense?", which was obviously (well, obvious to anyone paying attention) an attempt to get you to see that your rhetoric was harmful by using nonsensical rhetoric of my own, and was in response to your initial rhetoric filled post #84?

That post? Yes, let's talk more about that.

Rhetoric and behavior aren't the same thing. Rhetoric (like mine) usually follows the bad behavior; the toxicity; of others. Also, I do bite my tongue regarding words I would like to use to describe those who actually engage in bad behavior, including those who we pay to address said behavior.

Rhetoric is inherently toxic, because it's conflating an issue to the point where it's designed to get under the skin of the other person, instead of trying to honestly discuss the issue.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

You mean the post that included the line "Now how about we both stop this nonsense?", which was obviously (well, obvious to anyone paying attention) an attempt to get you to see that your rhetoric was harmful by using nonsensical rhetoric of my own, and was in response to your initial rhetoric filled post #84?

That post? Yes, let's talk more about that.



Rhetoric is inherently toxic, because it's conflating an issue to the point where it's designed to get under the skin of the other person, instead of trying to honestly discuss the issue.

Believe me, it's gone way past that. All that's left is nasty rhetoric.

 

[Nithavela]

We are all at different stages of growth. Give Joe a break. Joe's girlfriend seems to have a lot of "wants".

How do you figure?

 

[Nithavela]

Poor Joe. What did he do to generate such scrutiny???

Seriously, you say Joe is perfectly happy doing this. Where is it written that being happy is wrong?

I bet its somewhere in the bible.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I bet its somewhere in the bible.

You've been listening to Garrison Keillor too much.

 

[Nithavela]

You've been listening to Garrison Keillor too much.

Never heard of him.

 

[Nithavela]

Rhetoric is inherently toxic, because it's conflating an issue to the point where it's designed to get under the skin of the other person, instead of trying to honestly discuss the issue.

I think you're confusing rhetoric with sophistry.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Sigh...

What I was trying to do in the past couple of exchanges was to show how silly and divisive it is to use hyperbole when talking to people on the other side of the fence.

Not only do you not acknowledge this, but you insist on ramping up the rhetoric.

I don’t like saying this, but behavior like yours is toxic to society.

When people start kicking the players instead of the ball it means that they have run out of answers so they have to discredit those whose reasoning they cannot defeat.