What Makes Us Think Life is Meaningless?
On Friday, March 29th, we talked about how three facts about death from Todd May make us ponder the meaning of life and if life is meaningless. These facts were the following:
- Death is the end of us
- Death is not a goal, just the end
- Death is inevitable and uncertain
I think that out of all three of these positions, the one that I believe would make one ponder the meaning of life most is that death is simply the end of us. I think that when we hold the view that there is no afterlife and that as soon as we die we are just that, dead, that that fact can make us ponder if what we are doing is worth it, if we are invested in the things that bring us satisfaction, whether that satisfaction is joy or we feel like we have done good things in the world, etc. The fact that death is inevitable and uncertain only fuels that wondering even more intense. If we all died 5 minutes from now, is what we have done with our lives worth it? Did we make an impact? Did we make people feel loved or appreciate enough?
I think that the best way to conquer any type of fear in this is to simply invest in things that have long term impacts post death. For example, a friend and I were talking about instead of people giving flowers at your funeral, donating to a charity or making a scholarship in your name or something. Or with your career, I've talked to a lot of people about how they think doing something where they help people for a living is really fulfilling, like social work or working for a non-profit. Maybe that would help? Some food for thought.
I definitely agree that the mindset of there being no afterlife can make us question the impact of what we have been doing in our lives. Knowing the world will live on without you and fearing that death is the end of your existence definitely makes death seem even worse, because you know everything around you will live on before dying and you won't be there to see it or experience it. Another point I definitely agree with is that the uncertainty of what comes after death and the fact that death is inevitable makes your thoughts about death more intense.
ReplyDeleteI agree that thinking about death as just the end is uncomfortable. Thinking about an afterlife and the curiosity of the unknown keeps some of us living. We should live our life to the fullest and try to create impacts everyday to anyone around. Thinking “what if we die in the next 5 minutes” can be scary and uncomfortable but gives people the light that life could end at any time. Is what we are doing in our lives what we want to go out doing? Are our choices what we wanted them to be? Did we choose wisely?
ReplyDeletepondering about life is essential to figuring what the meaning to life is. Life is based on what we do and what we want to accomplish. Personal goals give life meaning and if for a second we think those things aren't valuable then we lose the very thing that was given to us; free will. If we let death dictate our life then we aren't living for our selves, we are living for death. awful when you say it that way but it makes sense. If we ponder on death and find everything we do pointless because we all end up just dying, then we lose the chance to influence and inspire the next generation with our actions and virtue which all contribute to a legacy. what we leave behind is important and that is what will be known as our legacy, life is important and if for a second you think it isn't because it all ends. You have lost your free-will.
ReplyDeleteI have a different perspective than most people I have talked to about death and the afterlife, specifically about how lack of belief in an afterlife affects me emotionally. I think, as with most things, this is a matter of one's upbringing. I was raised a baptist, and, as a young child, as I sat in church every Sunday absorbing the sermons' warnings that the unrighteous will burn in a lake of fire for all eternity, stemming from a though process virtually identical to Pascal's Wager, I decided that I did not want to believe in a God who would damn the wonderfully kind-hearted people in those pews for forgetting to pray to God for forgiveness at before bed after committing some minor sins, only to die before morning and awaken to the smell of your flesh burning indefinitely. I also saw a contradiction in the morally-centered God's damnation of unbelievers, regardless of how else they conduct themselves. What moral obligation do we have to believe in a God who has given us no objective reason to do so? Surely, I thought, a loving and moral God would respect that someone would choose to live a loving and moral life, even if they did not believe in God. If he does not, then, as I see it, he cannot be moral and loving. I'll find out sooner or later; fingers crossed.
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