Moving forward
A little over a year ago I started thinking about my beliefs and came to the conclusion that I should call myself an atheist. Soon thereafter read a book called the god delusion and wasn’t completely impressed but it got me started and in a way excited about atheism. It got me going in a direction that I still to this day think is the correct direction.
But I can’t help but think that atheists who are in the spotlight of the atheist community (those who publish books and speak) just like to suck up all the attention and bitch a lot. All they do is throw out a claim that god doesn’t exist and that we should all live by reason. Which are two things that I strongly agree with.
But. I think that there is much more to life than they act. From what I’ve gathered over the last year it seems that most atheists put little to no value in an individual life. It’s kind of like their outlook is something like “We’re here, we’re going to die, oh well.” And from this it makes me believe that they, for the most part, have no value for a living being. They think we’re here to die and that is all. I picked up on that notion and kind of went with it for a while and I’m beginning to stray away from it.
Following this notion led to a pessimistic state that I can’t deny has been harmful. There have been plenty of times where I could have been completely optimistic happy, but instead was completely pessimistic and depressed. I’ve noticed that it is harmful and that there needs to be somewhat of a polar change. For the sake of my sanity and morality I’m going to argue that there just has to be more value and meaning human life than what meets the eye.
As I start to break away from mainstream atheism I’m starting to look for written philosophy of which to build off of. Whether it is similar to my current beliefs or not - I think that reading any type of philosophy will be beneficial in challenging any and all thought conventions I have been brought to believe in.
For a first philosophy book I’m going to read Friedrich Nietzsche’s Human All Too Human.
Cristian
Posted 13 Dec 2007 at 2:20 am | Permalink
Its funny, ive been going through the same dillema, athiesm has been my avowed belief for some time now, but now and again i get brief ripplings of a belief in a higher being,. Most of the time im a nihlist thought, believeing that morality is subject to each individual. I hate how our society brands people as wierd or such things only because it differentiates from their norm.
I dont know where im going with this or even if it means anything to you but its been on my mind lately
jakedahn
Posted 13 Dec 2007 at 8:05 am | Permalink
Well it’s good to know that there’s others out there.
But I’m not suggesting that there is any sort of higher power. I don’t feel comfortable with there being something with an unlimited mental and physical capacity.
Peter
Posted 13 Dec 2007 at 5:25 pm | Permalink
You say that your experience of atheists is that most feel we are simply here to die. I would disagree.
Neither myself, nor other atheists I know have shown this, more that we will die, but are here to live. The idea of everlasting life, be it in heaven, through re-incarnation, or some other method seems to lead to the idea that when we die it is not the end, so we don’t need to live life to the full now. However as atheists feel there is nothing else they want to live this life, because that is all they will get.
jakedahn
Posted 13 Dec 2007 at 8:10 pm | Permalink
Peter, I’ve heard something along the lines of the whole ‘we are here to die’ thing from MANY atheists. It may just be our geographical disposition that makes the difference in opinion?
Brendan
Posted 16 Dec 2007 at 6:11 pm | Permalink
Try reading some stuff on Buddhism. Ignore the folk tales and lore, but pay a lot of attention to the philosophy. It really helped me out.
While I don’t agree with Buddhism completely, it really helped me shape my life views, which I’m comfortable and happy with. For the sake of interest, here they are:
-We don’t need to assume that God exists, but anything’s possible, right?
-Hate is pointless.
-You can’t be disappointed if you don’t want anything in the first place. (Doesn’t mean you have to stop wanting things, though. I’ve got a pretty lengthly Christmas list.)
-Roll with the punches. Don’t wallow.
-Revenge is also pointless. (Most of the time.)
-Being happy really does beat being unhappy.
-Meditation is actually really useful.
I’m not trying to preach to you. You should figure out whatever’s the best for you.