Why live at all?

[ToddNotTodd]

Do you cross the street? Drive a car? Live in a city and breathe in all that pollution? Why jeopardize your life in this way?

You sound exactly like my mother...

/shudder

 

[Davian]

There is no eternal significance for your actions. It may end up helping someone for some while, but it won't last if God does not exist.

I have not seen any convincing evidence that gods exist as anything other than as characters in books.

So there is no eternal significance to my actions. I can live with that.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Looks like you all have the secret to the perfect life. I don't think you understand what non-existence truly means. Lacking ANY experience should be preferred to experiencing at least one moment of genuine suffering. Why get shot in the leg when you have the option to avoid it? The hope for a future good is only favorable if, at the end of life, you have something to do with it. For the Christian, God will use our actions, good and bad, for the benefit of others and ourselves. However, if it all ends at the grave, then why bother? Afraid of death perhaps?

Not afraid of death, but dying doesn't sound fun.

Let me ask you this, would you like me to kill you? (Hypothetically of course )
I understand there's some goofy rules and such attached to suicide in christianity, but being murdered isn't one of them. I just find you one day and do you in...off to paradise you go...sound good? No suffering entailed.

You said to another poster that you don't think they understand what nonexistence is like. I don't think you understand what nonexistence is like. Try to imagine what your life was like before you were born...that's what I believe it will be after I die. I prefer existing. Tiny moments of suffering included.

 

[Asvin]

Not afraid of death, but dying doesn't sound fun.

Let me ask you this, would you like me to kill you? (Hypothetically of course )
I understand there's some goofy rules and such attached to suicide in christianity, but being murdered isn't one of them. I just find you one day and do you in...off to paradise you go...sound good? No suffering entailed.

You said to another poster that you don't think they understand what nonexistence is like. I don't think you understand what nonexistence is like. Try to imagine what your life was like before you were born...that's what I believe it will be after I die. I prefer existing. Tiny moments of suffering included.

Allowing you to kill me, thereby allowing you to sin, is a sin itself. I don't want to sin. So I don't think that analogy works. I don't think we can all truly comprehend what non-existence is like, but we know that there will be an absence of any experience (At least on the non-Christian view). You said you prefer to exist. Why? Why go through ANY instance of suffering? Why not avoid it all?

 

[Ana the Ist]

Allowing you to kill me, thereby allowing you to sin, is a sin itself. I don't want to sin. So I don't think that analogy works. I don't think we can all truly comprehend what non-existence is like, but we know that there will be an absence of any experience (At least on the non-Christian view). You said you prefer to exist. Why? Why go through ANY instance of suffering? Why not avoid it all?

It's not allowing me to, I'd probably enjoy it more if you didn't. What I said is would you like me to? You know, a free pass to paradise.

Why prefer to exist? Because nonexistence isn't simply not suffering, it's not anything, no joy, no thoughts, no memories, nothing. Suffering is a small part of existence, and one you seen awfully focused on.

 

[Asvin]

It's not allowing me to, I'd probably enjoy it more if you didn't. What I said is would you like me to? You know, a free pass to paradise.

Why prefer to exist? Because nonexistence isn't simply not suffering, it's not anything, no joy, no thoughts, no memories, nothing. Suffering is a small part of existence, and one you seen awfully focused on.

That's the same as wanting to end my life in any other way. Wanting to walk up to an oncoming train. Wanting you to kill me. Wanting to jump into the pacific ocean with no supporting mechanisms. No sir. That is a sin as well.

I am focused on the small parts of suffering because it does not make sense to prefer any instance of it. Sit down and think into the future. Will there be ANY instance? The answer is yes. So why bother?

 

[Soul2Soul]

Disclaimer: I am not promoting/condoning suicide. This is just a conceptual question and I DO NOT mean to suggest any one end their life.

This question is towards atheists and other non-monotheists, including pantheists. Why should you live at all? If you are going to die in the future, why live at all? Is it not better to end any instance of suffering?

Can I share - I know you want atheists, non monotheists etc to be the main posters but I do want to raise something?

How might the one(s) concerned "end any instance of suffering"?

 

[quatona]

So you would love the experience of getting shot in the leg?

That doesn´t follow from my response.
I suggest you start reading and responding to what has been said. That's the least that can be expected from someone who asked a question and to whom people dedicate their time and effort.

 

[Dave Ellis]

Disclaimer: I am not promoting/condoning suicide. This is just a conceptual question and I DO NOT mean to suggest any one end their life.

This question is towards atheists and other non-monotheists, including pantheists. Why should you live at all? If you are going to die in the future, why live at all? Is it not better to end any instance of suffering?

I could easily turn this around and ask the Christians that if they're going to a paradise after they die, why do they cling to life so much?

As for myself, I think the time that I spend living is all I'm going to get. Since I enjoy life, the people I meet and the things I experience, I don't want that to end.

I'm curious to know why you would even have to ask this question. If you think life on earth is about living in a fallen world and is only a place to miserably wipe your feet before an eternal paradise, I'd view life with a lot of disdain.

If you think that the 80-100 years that you get to experience on this amazing planet in this amazing time is all you're going to get, and once it's over, it's over.... you value every second you have of it all that much more.

Why live? Because we are incredibly lucky to be alive, and we should take full advantage of that opportunity while we have it.

 

[Ana the Ist]

That's the same as wanting to end my life in any other way. Wanting to walk up to an oncoming train. Wanting you to kill me. Wanting to jump into the pacific ocean with no supporting mechanisms. No sir. That is a sin as well.

I am focused on the small parts of suffering because it does not make sense to prefer any instance of it. Sit down and think into the future. Will there be ANY instance? The answer is yes. So why bother?

Ok. It's clear now you're just avoiding my question because the answer is obvious. I didn't say allow nor did I say want I said like. As in, would you like being murdered and getting a free pass to heaven? There's no sin, in it, I've checked. Can you think of no biblical accounts where someone is glad to die at another's hand and go to heaven? I'm sure I can come up with at least one. Do you understand how silly that belief is? If it's truely what you believe...a murderer of christians is simply doing them a great favor. That's because ultimately, the christian believes this life isn't of importance compared to the next.

I, and my fellow atheists, don't have such a belief. That makes this life the only life of importance. That includes the suffering and the joy. It's your beliefs that make life meaningless, not mine.

 

[quatona]

Hey Asvin, you seem to work from the premise that I am the kind of guy whose death would decrease the overall amount of suffering. I´m considering to take offense from that presumption.

 

[Ken-1122]

I am focused on the small parts of suffering because it does not make sense to prefer any instance of it. Sit down and think into the future. Will there be ANY instance? The answer is yes. So why bother?

Because the good outweighs the bad.

Ken

 

[Jeremy E Walker]

Because the good outweighs the bad.

Ken

In what sense does this "weighing" you speak of take place?

 

[essentialsaltes]

In what sense does this "weighing" you speak of take place?

Introspection, I imagine. Do you have difficulty determining whether you are enjoying life or not?

 

[Jeremy E Walker]

That's because ultimately, the christian believes this life isn't of importance compared to the next.

I, and my fellow atheists, don't have such a belief. That makes this life the only life of importance. That includes the suffering and the joy. It's your beliefs that make life meaningless, not mine.

1. You cannot speak for what the "christian" believes. You can only speak for the individual Christians who have actually told you that this life is of no importance when compared to the next (which if I were a wagering man, I would wager have not been many at all).

2. In the event you did happen to have a christian tell you what you claim they have, then they are wrong. The scriptures actually paint a very different picture.

3. You cannot speak for your fellow atheists. You can speak, at most, for those who have intimated to you that they share your particular views. Not all atheists hold the view that you do regarding the importance of this life.

4. I am a Christian and my beliefs do not make life meaningless.

Correct these misconceptions you have because if you do not, then you are no different than the Christian who makes generic, blanket statements about atheists.

 

[Jeremy E Walker]

Introspection, I imagine. Do you have difficulty determining whether you are enjoying life or not?

Ok, let's assume he means introspection....

Why be introspective?

 

[Chany]

Still waiting for an answer to my questions...

 

[Marius27]

In my case, I see no good reason to live. Unfortunately, it's not like we can push a button and not wake up the next day. Thus, living is a requirement.

 

[Asvin]

Hey Asvin, you seem to work from the premise that I am the kind of guy whose death would decrease the overall amount of suffering. I´m considering to take offense from that presumption.

 

[Asvin]

In my case, I see no good reason to live. Unfortunately, it's not like we can push a button and not wake up the next day. Thus, living is a requirement.

What? I thought you are a Jew? You have no good reason to live?