Atheism?
Click to viewHmm. I'm not really sure on how to react to what Stephen said about not believing in "The Afterlife".
I don't believe either way but believing point blank, forcing myself to think "This is it" is so negative to me.
I don't think you can enjoy Life if you see it as a ticking time bomb.
At least, I don't right now. I can't imagine relaxing like that. I'd feel like I constantly needed to do things to make my life worthwhile, I'd constantly feel like I was wasting time.
And then you over-think everything and when you over-think you can't just relax, savour and enjoy.
And I'm sure that's not what Stephen meant but I'm just a little.. I don't know. Just.. were I to decide to think "This is it", how would I deal with that? Assuming all Atheists are not totally accepting and ready for death. Because I don't think anyone is. Or at least, not many people.
So how do they live with that knowledge that nothing will happen to you once you are dead? That one minute you're alive and the next you're just... nothing. Gone.
So I feel like having some vague hope that there's something waiting for you, something that will make up for all the sadness and pain you've been through in Life.. I feel like that's a positive thing. And I don't think it makes you any less clever or enlightened than someone who believes one thing over another.
You can still have intelligent philosophical conversations and thoughts. I'm still open-minded. I've considered myself an agnostic for quite a while because is there any point in believing either way if no-one knows for sure? I live in hope. Hope that there are surprises and this isn't all there is. Sure, it might be - and probably is - but if that means that in those self-pitying moments we all have, believing Life isn't fair, we can seek no solace in the fact there may be some kind of reward, compensation for getting through it all, then... well, is there any point in making a decision to not believe?
...
Was Stephen just saying don't take Life for granted because you think you'll be able to do it all better when you're in Heaven?
Because of course I don't think that. I try to make the most of the time I'm given and I do want to be as great as I can be because of course there is a huge possibility that this is your only chance. And that's scary.
But just because you're taking advantage of your time on Earth, doesn't mean you can't hope for something more too.
I'd be really interested to hear other people's thoughts on this.
I made a post about religion back in April and had a fantastic response so if anyone wants to discuss more, here is where it's at!
P.S. What the hell, I'm going to quote Hamlet because it says it all really, even if it makes me feel like a pompous ass, Quoteing Shakespearree. But I'm making this post in the first place so whatevs, right? (this sentence preceding the next makes it all the more classy)
"Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?"
In summary, no-one knows for sure so just enjoy life, right?
(That's not the summary of that speech, I was just summarising what I meant and sort of.. in light of what was said in t' old Hamlet suicide speech. Jeez. I'm ignorant but not as much as you make me out to be! Lordeh! I see the relevance anyway..)
On an unrelated and pretty trivial note, I'm not sure whether I should friends lock my journal at all?
A couple of people (not friends - just on random comms etc. or just after adding me) have told me they've read some of my personal posts (about illness, depression or even just innocuous Life stuff) and found them comforting etc. because they feel the same way, and I wouldn't like people to have to friend me to read my stuff because generally when you add people you don't know much about them if their journals are locked; you just share a few of the same interests.
I often read people's journals and want to get a feel of what they're about before adding them and I've also read a lot of posts people have done and thought "It's like they read my mind!" and added them after that! And stuff like my illness I don't put on my profile so if I locked my journal people wouldn't know to look at my posts. (<- apologies for AWFUL grammar/general writing there. I think I broke my mind a little with that philosophical stuff earlier)
But then the reason I'm thinking of locking some posts is because in Media class the other day some people were bitching about this girl in my year's blog they found and they were making fun of her and I'm not sure how I'd handle it if that happened to me. I'm really shy and when I've talked to people on Facebook before about something personal, when I've seen them in real life it's been really awkward because it's hard to get to that level of intimacy face-to-face.
ARG.
WHAT TO DO?!
Also someone from Jersey who I don't know added me and I don't even know what to do! Do I want random people to know all about me and know where I live? The internet confuses meeee!
I don't know.
I'm edging towards keeping it all open but... arg.
I don't know!