I will now consider an odd debate over which is more meaningful: a finite life or an infinite life. This seems like a my life span can beat up your life span spat. However, it is a point that has come up in Christian vs. atheist discussions and it seemed apropos to post on the issue, again.
Atheism postulates an absolutely material existence. Thus, according to this atheist view existence offers no extrinsic, objective, absolute meaning (considered here). Therefore, according to this atheist view we humans must invent our own meaning. Atheism does not seem to answer why we seek meaning in the first place. Atheists do not consider this fact to be any sort of deficiency. In fact, atheists take pride in proclaiming that they do not need any deity to dictate to them the meaning of their lives, they can make up their own. Of course, this only admits and solidifies the fact that this atheist view does present a view of existence which offers no extrinsic, objective, absolute meaning.
From this premise, atheists present at least two pillars upon which they build their particular, and peculiar, worldviews: the first is finding intrinsic, subjective, relative meaning and the second is embracing despair-carpe despero; seize despair.
These two pillars work together as a prop which allows the atheist to live their daily lives. It is by knowing that death will end them forever, since atheism implies the ultimate annihilation of all of humanity, that drives atheists to seek temporal meaning. In this way the atheist can feel as if their life is worth something and that is what the atheist thinks will differentiate them from the other bio-organism’s with whom they share a tiny and cosmically insignificant planet.Back now to the issue of the finite vs. infinite (or: temporal vs. eternal) life spans.My dear atheist, even while you seek to carpe despero you must realize that this is the very same monstrous despair that will eventually devour you. Anything and everything that you have ever done, thought, or felt will be devoured and disposed of forever.The senses upon which you relied to inform you as to life the universe and everything will simply cease to function and the information gleaned therewith will simply be deleted.On a cosmic time scale this absolute destruction will take place in the very, very, very near future. Your whole being and your whole impact upon this world will be like the twinkling of an eye. In that nanosecond you will be completely erased and nothing that you have ever done, thought, or felt will matter in the least bit-nothing.
Someone has told me that they believe that eternal life means that our lives continue in the memories of those who loved us; that it is the memory of us that lives on. No my friend. Firstly, this is not conscious existence but is tantamount to claiming that a book’s contents are alive. They may be emotive or informative but they are not alive.Moreover, do you remember anything about, or know anything about, your great grandfather? What about your great-great-great grandmother? You may know their name or read a phrase on their tombstone. Of the billions of people who have ever lived how many of them do we know of from antiquity? Certainly, the overwhelmingly vast majority by a long shot are not remembered anywhere, anyhow, by anyone.”Yes,” you may state in agreement, but this is why we must carpe despero and live this life, do things in the here and now and make an impact for the good of humanity.Well, I see your point. After all, it was that overwhelmingly vast majority who propagated the existence of humanity and are, in that sense, the reason why we are now here.However, you must expand your horizons and embrace the truly titanic nature of the despair which you claim to embrace. This absolutely materialistic atheist view claims that someday you, me, and everyone you have ever known, loved, hated, or even hear of or read about-everyone who has ever lived-will simple cease to exist and there will be no one left to know about it or care one bit. One day all of humanity will simply be gone and the cosmos will not even notice. If you had never been born, if you had never existed, it would not make the least bit of a difference.Everything that you have ever done, everything that you have ever felt, everything that you have ever thought will be gone forever-never again to be remembered or noticed. All of humanity will not matter in the least bit. If the Earth and its inhabitants had never existed it would make no difference-this is your ultimate and inevitable demise.What you are thinking as you read this is irrelevant, what you are thinking of writing as a comment does not matter in the least bit: you, your thoughts, your emotions, you opinions, your everything amounts to nothing but a shockingly temporary bio-chemical reaction that will not matter in the least bit ever, nowhere to anyone.”Yes but,” you may again state, “that is why we must, in the here and now, _________” (fill in the subjective blank).Yes, my friend, I agree, we must take benevolent actions but_Finite vs. infinite bottom lines:If life is finite then you may cause a temporary benefit to yourself and others. This is certainly a virtuous view and should not, in and of itself, be besmirched or discouraged in the least bit.Yet, I am attempting to spelunk ever deeper into the desert dry throat of the beast of despair, the eater universes, and get you to fully embrace and swallow the bitter death’s mead which you are bound to drink. Everything that you have ever done from the simplest act of kindness to the grandest worldwide humanitarian relief-will come to absolute naught. Everything that you are, that which makes you what you are, that which is unique to you, that which you built your life upon, will be utterly irrelevant and it will not matter to anyone, anywhere, never, ever again.
On the other hand, if life is infinite then your actions have eternal consequences and anything you do, from the grandiose to the mundane, is ultimately important. What you are and what you do will live on and this vastly expands our perspective. This is what truly gives our everyday lives importance. This is why we must express benevolence in here and now.
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