Am I the only unhappy atheist? -or- Life without god is hopeless and tragic

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Am I the only unhappy atheist? -or- Life without god is hopeless and tragic

I've rarely met another atheist who wasn't okay with the reality he/she knew, but I'm one of them. I'm pissed that I had to be a part of this tragic species, and I'm pissed this tragic species ever came into existence. I know it's no one's fault, but it angers me that it happened, b/c throughout human history (say, the past 150 thousand years of modern Homo Sapiens) and every single day, countless 'good' people have suffered terrible physical and emotional pain at the hands of 'bad' people or the natural world. I myself have suffered pretty badly in life (just some abuse I got when I was a kid), but not nearly as bad as millions of other people.

 

And in the end, we all die forever. There's no man in the sky to protect us in life or save us in death, no mystical figure who loves us and created us- we are a tragic accident in a vast unconscious universe.

 

I'm really pissed off by all the above, and if I had a magic button that would kill all life on earth, I'd press it in a heart beat. No, I'm not going to kill anyone (I don't own any weapons, and besides, why would I go out and shoot a dozen people when that would just cause tons of suffering for innocent people as well as ending my life and not even making a dent in the global population?), but if I had a button that would end us all instantly and painlessly, I'd press it. All of us, as well as our species, are already as good as dead, and the only question is how much more our species will suffer on the way to eternal extinction.

 

ps: if you find it hard to believe i'm an atheist, feel free to say so. I'd be glad to defend atheism.

 

 

pps: I defy anyone to give me a reason why pressing the button would be inhumane and/or illogical.


Strafio
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xkcd wrote: And in the end,

xkcd wrote:
And in the end, we all die forever.

What's wrong with that?
Have you ever had a great day, came home really tired and not thinking or caring about whether you wake up tomorrow, to just drift off into a blissful sleep? For most of us, the end is just like that.

Quote:
There's no man in the sky to protect us in life or save us in death, no mystical figure who loves us and created us- we are a tragic accident in a vast unconscious universe.

How would a conscious designer make things better?
Why do you need that kind of 'purpose' to feel fullfilled?
Why do you need that kind of protection?
It seems to me you've gotten caught up on a few ideas that you think life should be. My advice would be to stop caring, and maybe you'll come to appreciate life as it is? Have you ever been happy in life? How about as a child? Did you need an eternal 'protector' or 'purpose' back then? Did you even consider, let alone care about, the fact that you would die someday?

Quote:
I defy anyone to give me a reason why pressing the button would be inhumane and/or illogical.

Sure. Humane means you care about others and destoying the lives of other people would most certainly be inhumane!
As to illogical, I guess it depends on what you are trying to achieve by it. If you genuinely wanted to end humanity then pressing the button would be the logical thing to do, as something is logical depending on whether it matches our aims. However, nobody really wants to end humanity. What would be illogical would be your thinking that your depression made you really want to end it all, as you'd probably really regret it once it was done and you'd realised just what happened.

It's one of those "you don't really know what you have until you lose it" things, you might think you hate the world but I reckon you'd still be sorry to see it go.


JCE
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AbandonMyPeace

AbandonMyPeace wrote:
stillmatic wrote:

Anyone else getting the vibe that this guy is a theist perpitrator who's trying validate his twisted views on how atheists feel about death?

That was amazing! I was thinking the same thing.


Hmmm...I thought it was just me that was wondering this.

xkcd wrote:

Thanks for all your help. In actuallity, there will never be an answer- we are all doomed to nothingness, and we as a species will suffer terribly every day until then. We are a tragic accident headed nowhere, when all our 'achievements' and memories will dissapear forever. Can I just get someone to admit that?

No.  If you are asking us to think just like you, forget it.  You have not addressed any of the individual, thoughtful posts made here and keep repeating the same depressing thought over and over.

After I die will be no different for me than the millions of years prior to my being born.  While I am here, I will make every effort to enjoy myself, make the lives of those I love a little more enjoyable and do what I can to help others.  Perhaps this seems small and meaningless to you, but it does not to me.  I find happiness in the small things in life and try not to let the massive suffering in the world rule my life.

Your statement regarding not caring about the people in this world that are happy seems a bit hypocritical to me and I do not understand why you would choose not to care about them, but are capable of caring for those that suffer.  Can you explain this?

 


CrimsonEdge
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I think the OP doesn't

I think the OP doesn't understand that death is probabbly like it was before life.


shikko
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stillmatic wrote: xkcd

stillmatic wrote:
xkcd wrote:

 

Fuck you.There's nothing beautiful or amazing about living for a short time in a shit hole, then dying forever, all the while never getting to truly understand existence, yearning for things you can't have, and seeing the suffering of the world. Fuck.

Anyone else getting the vibe that this guy is a theist perpitrator who's trying validate his twisted views on how atheists feel about death?

Hah! No, I hadn't considered that. I just thought he was either emo-trolling or actually clinically depressed. However, I think the responses he got from this bunch of atheists (while perhaps easy to mischaracterize), are the same he'd get from a bunch of theists:

"God helps those who help themselves." I.e., "Stop whining and do something about the suffering you say you feel so keenly."

"Pray for guidance." I.e., "Seek medical help."

"Your suffering is nothing next to Christ's, who died for you." I.e., "You're being a fucktard."

 

--
maybe if this sig is witty, someone will love me.


Hambydammit
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I have to bust into this

I have to bust into this post as a mod for a minute. Everyone please read this carefully.

Several of the posts in this thread have either inferred or openly suggested that perhaps if someone is so upset with their life that they think death is better that they ought to commit suicide.

This is NOT the recommendation of the RRS or any of the founders, and if anyone has said that, or says it in the future, it is their own opinion, and should be treated as such.

As far as the RRS is concerned, anyone, theist or atheist, who experiences suicidal thoughts should immediately seek professional help.

RRS does not censor for content beyond the forum rules, as we believe that freedom of expression is part of an informed debate. RRS does not intend to censor any of the comments regarding suicide, but we feel it is important to make it abundantly clear that we do not want anyone to think that we recommend or endorse it.

Thanks for reading! Carry on.

 

 

Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin

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Max Wilder
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It's pretty clear to me

It's pretty clear to me that you are one of those people who call themselves an atheist when truly you are a theist who is really pissed at god.

If you truly believed we become nothing after death, then the suffering of the world would mean nothing to you.

Your ravings of "feeling the pain of the world" smack of "How could you do this to me, daddy?"

I challenge you to think about this: Imagine you could walk up to one of those people who is suffering, and ask them if they want to die so they can stop suffering. 99.9% of them would tell you to fuck off. They have hope that things will get better, and they have things they want to do with the time they have here. Otherwise you would have an astronomical suicide rate, not the tiny percentage of the tragically lost.

There is hope. Get a good therapist. Go to different ones until you find one you are comfortable with and who gets you.

You will feel better and you will have a better life. There is only one thing I consider sacred. That is life itself. Do not waste yours.

-----
I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting. But it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously.
- Douglas Adams, Salmon of Doubt


Nero
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I adore the RRS disclaimer.

I adore the RRS disclaimer. It is a wonder that we live in a society which forces us to disclaim the acts of another.  Everyone loves freedom of action until that freedom is not used in a way we would have it. Smile

Irony is so much fun.  I gave this creature advice to be followed.  He ignored it.  Clearly, there is some other reason for these posts.  If he were actually searching for meaning, he would look into the variety of pieces of advice offered.

We should accept our little animal friend for the confused teenager that he is.  Hopefully, he will find more constructive ways of raging against the machine.

"Tis better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." -Lucifer