Okay, here's my story:

I'm a hardcore atheist, I've been thinking for a few years now, what's the point of going on? I... and everyone else really, just keep waking up, eating, going to work, eating some more, entertain ourselves however possible (friends,recreation), sleep, and repeat.

While at work I stand there dead silent all day long (I only speak when spoken too, period) and the people at work... I just can't stand listening to them talk, everybody just mindlessly gossips and makes jokes to make themselves feel better about life and help themselves get through the day. I would join in a conversation if I could, but I just can't relate, people seem to keep talking non-stop even though they're not really going anywhere, they're just talking in circles over and over again, it's like... Hey, let's just take turns saying something about ourselves (usually: I like this, this is good, this is bad, this is funny) that the other person doesn't even want to hear at all and then make a sarcastic joke and laugh it all off until we are done working, then repeat the next day.

My idea about life: We're a collection of endlessly chain reacting strings/atoms/negatives/positives that have grown from a large rock floating in the abyss of who the hell knows what, adapting to our environments and trying to keep "our" bodies/organisms alive by eating and resting to keep the energy up, and then we entertain/pleasure ourselves, I believe that the only reason we entertain/pleasure ourselves is to trick ourselves into say... caring about living... In reality, it's all about ourselves, the reason we cry when our friend dies is because our friend can no longer entertain us and a huge part of entertainment for us is now gone, strange we don't give a s*** when somebody we don't know dies. Sex, people call it love making, or try to associate love with it, I believe that it's just another trick to keep us surviving, we need to reproduce and we have these constant urges to reproduce, we're addicted to getting our penis/vagina to feel good, and how do I get that... oh, all I gotta do is perform the reproductive act and l'll good. We are recloning ourselves over and over again, why do you think we all look the same, come on now... Doesn't anybody else get it? This is all pointless.

What I wish life was: Me + Friends + Most comfortable bed of all time + Best tasting foods of all time + my own iMAX theatre above bed, where I lay and play games/watch movies/laugh for all eternity. This is obviously not going to happen unless I get wealthy, but I'm going to keep pushing myself and being determined to get all the + and avoid all the -, you know what I mean?

Life IS go for Positive and stay away from Negative.

Eating = Good
Starving = Bad
Sleeping = Good
Not Sleeping = Bad
Reproduction = Good
Dieing = Bad
Entertainment = Good
Boredum = Depression = Suicidal Thoughts = Bad

Keep the organism alive, but why?

Hi Klax0r.

You have made some points worthy of thinking. There is one important thing you forgot to mention. That we all have emotions. Some people can deny that they do, but we all feel something. Now by nature we do what we can to help each other survive. However this isn't always true with all people.

Someone can say, "well he didn't help that person out, he must not feel anything!" Ok but that person does feel something. We all have a desire to be happy, if we didn't the world would be a sorry place to be. Now here is the thing, happiness is defined a lot of different ways to people.

Just something to think about. Glad to see you posting here.

Take care,

Dante~

Hi Klax,

Hardcore atheist? Either you are an atheist or you aren't. I am. An atheist is defined as denying totally the existence of a God. There's no degree of atheism. I understand, I think why you wrote it though. I know many will challenge us when we say that.

Who can argue with your basic summary. Eat, sleep, work, pass the time and repeat. That really is it for most isn't it? Battery hens for bosses.

What else is there? This is why so many want to believe in the big guy upstairs you see. They can't deal with life being potentially so mundane.

If you think about it though you are at a great advantage compared to most. How? Your mind and thinking isn't restricted by the imposed thoughts or rules or others through religion. You are free to think and ponder on anything you like and consider all options instead of having to obey certaon rules or expected standards of thought and behaviour.

You talk about sex and making ourselves feel good through that and for what.

Try looking at that issue from another angle.

Such as, why do we have that drive and what does it achieve? Males and females have different drives regarding sex. Males predominantly for pleasure and females for both pleasure and motherhood. If it were left to males becoming a parent would usually finish last in their priorities. I'm male, 4 children.

So what is the purpose of sex and those drives? Simple. Survival of the species. Same as for all living creatures and plants too really. There's an inbuilt drive or mechanism that causes each group to create replacements, to breed.

That, to me, is the real puspose in our lives, the Meaning of Life if you will.

The rest of our time is open but having children commits us to a high level of devotion and providing which can dominate our lives.

Within all of that love is certainly also a survival mechanism as I see it. As soon as you become a parent you love the child unlike anything you've felt before. Love between a man and a woman or any two adults is one of the biggest thrills in life. Better than sex as it lasts much longer and can be so fulfilling.

Lastly, on happiness. Many say they want to be happy but ask them what it is, define it and they can't.

I think happiness is basically an illusion. Something that makes us think there is always more than what we have. Emotionally, physically or any other way. With that approach one can never be happy as there is always more.

If you can define your own version of happiness and achieve it then you need nothing more.

As an example the things you list today as your target will change within the next 5 years. How can I say that? Well technology will offer you more for starters won't it? New gadgets and so on. There could be a world wide war or natural disaster which would make what you have today look ideal.

You follow my drift?

I cannot though disagree at all with the inane daily routine and the repetitious gossip and low level inanity most people use to occupy their day. It's like being in the movie "Groundhog Day" isn't it"? Everything repeated the same every day. I really could never understand it or be bothered joining in. I joined in when there was something of interest but that was and is quite rare. Often it's just peole talking about what they watched on TV, what they ate, what they'd like to do and on and on and .....

Try taking advantage of the intellectual freedom atheism gives you and use your mind to explore things rather than focusing on the trivial. I see you writing some such and that is very encouraging. Use that imagination and think things through.

I'll give you a challenge to think about. Think about time and it's relevance to human beings. It's a huge area. Message me if you need or want to. I'm thinking about that are myself and don't have any startling revelations as yet but it's a challenge.

Best

Friendly

Ok, I am going to chime in here and say "yeah, so".
All you have said is true. So you can sit and be miserable about it or look at the positives. You are totally in control of your own happiness now that you understand the formula.
Entertain yourself. Enjoy it.
Eat. Enjoy it.
Sleep. Enjoy it.
Have Sex. Enjoy it.
Take these things for what they are, sure, understand them, but enjoy it. Just because you know and understand how random things are does not mean you have to fight it.

Just my 0.2 as always. I think like you do, I just choose to have fun with all of the crap we have going on until we die.

Thanks for the comments, guys. I... would be happy if I could, that's what I'm trying to do, but I'm not getting a good good/bad ratio here. I'm doing something like 3:5 good/bad, I need to doing probably 1:1 for my life to be doing good. But I'm running out of ideas and things to do. I'm just freakin' bored out of everything, I don't know what to do about that. I don't like going out or meeting new people. My interests are almost strictly limited to playing video games, watching movies, and smoking the green with my close friends.

Hi Klax0r,

Hang in there my friend, and take things one step at a time.

Dante~

Hello,
How can you say with such certainty that there is no God? Look around you. You never see beauty or hope? Is everything black all the time? Not living with God as a part of your life can be sad I am sure. For me, there would be no point in living. I believe in life after death and this is just a place to prepare us for what is to come.
I have had much saddness in my life but i am here because God brought me through it all. Without Him I am nothing.

Hey Klaxor, I see the point you're trying to make about life - yes it is pointless if you really think about it. I mean all these concepts that we value and beleive in, love, religion, government, wealth, materialism, anything you can think of is just some idea or concept created by humans to rationalize a pointless existence. We seem to be the only species in the food chain that keeps growing, instead of being in balance like all the other animals, we're like a cancer to this Earth - in that all we do is consume and waste resources.

Not many people are going to see things the way you have bluntly put them. Because many people feel comfortable by trying to have something to rationalize their purpose; happiness only comes at the cost of some ignorance.

Thanks for posting your thoughts.

1) Stop smoking weed. It exaserbates depression. Seriously!
2) You need some sun on your skin man! Go out there and get physical. There is nothing better then a dose of rays.

Want2behappy - I am not sad that I don't believe in god. You believe, we don't. That is the way of life, either I am wrong or you are. I don't see god in nature, I see nature. I don't see god as doing good for me, I see it as the way things are. So yeah, we all have our own beliefs.

This post has been edited by Ashlea: Aug 8 2008, 04:55 AM

Hi again,

To Ashlea, weed is damaging to those whose brain is still developing, commonly held to be about age 25. Using weed or any other drug for that matter, alcohol included seriously limits the development of the human brain. And of course there's always the lung issue whatever one smokes!

I find it strange how often some things are proven from one aspect but society takes that aspect and spreads the theory acros the whole spectrum of life. To digress a little I did smoke cigarettes for 35 years and hated the way society slowly reduced the ability to smoke but still sold and collected taxes from it. And still does. I gave up 18 months ago.

The non smokers used the argument of second hand smoke and so on as their basis (and I don't deny it may be true) yet the exhaust from cars is killing the whole planet. Where's the priority? Stop people smoking in the street and allow the cars to continue as ever? And so on. I'd much prefer they banned tobacco but that would just increase crime.

You see weed, dope or whatever you call it, is actually quite beneficial when you grow older. In my case I had depression from age 10 and didn't try dope until my 20's. So it had no effect on depression as I already had it. I have used it on and off for 30+ years and it is not addictive as the current wowser brigade insists. I use it for a month and then stop. Why? Well it stops having an effect if you smoke it full time long term. That I agree would be damaging to every part of your life as you would be asleep mostly.

Like any vice I've found it be be useful in moderation. These days I use it for one purpose. Pain relief. Very effective. But again only a month or so at a time and then months without. I must also add that it gives me a level of concentration I lack most days when I do have it.

To Want2bhappy.

What does it matter what atheists like myself and others say? If you are happy and comfortable with your own faith then our thoughts and self knowledge mean nothing to you. I don't see it as my mission to convince anybody of anything. Neither should you.

Enjoy your faith and take from it what you need. Others do the same regardless of their stance on the issue of religion and God. There isn't a need for a clash over who believes what is there? Live and let live, I believe that was part of the teachings of Jesus.

Seriously, do take your happiness and comfort as it comes. We do the same and our world isn't bleak and dark without a God in it. In fact it's a whole lot simpler and less antagonistic.

Very best

Friendly

It has been proven that excessive use of THC lowers seratonin levels. As with all other drugs. THC is a central nervous system depressant. It does exacerbate depression. Believe what you want but it is not a good thing.