A general "peace, love, and harmony" musing
If everyone did NOT believe in an afterlife or deity, how would the world change? Say, theology vanished over night?
Would people decide to take care of themselves better to live longer, fuller, more productive lives rather than sit around staring at a television set gaining massive amounts of weight until they can no longer leave their homes comfortably and loathe themselves for being incapacitated by their weight? Realizing this it, this is life, this is your only existence? "God" won't give you a second chance, nor recreate your body into a perfect image of yourself? You are only what YOU make of yourself...
Would we become more tolerant and willing to stand together for the sake of human progression? That if this is it, this is the only life we have and no one is watching over our actions to do the right thing because it is right and more conducive to a healthy and happy life? Not out of fear or guilt?
Would we strive more to live our dreams? Work harder to attain non-materialistic goals? (i.e. go travel the world, sky dive, give to help others, take care of your friends and family, learn new ideas and concepts and pass them on, grow a produce garden that has little impact yet has a high yield... etc.)
Could we live without hate, fear, and guilt? Could we live without the need to force beliefs, traditions, and punishments on each other? To know that we are all wrong in our hatred and need to "do OUR [almighty true] God's work" for him? That it is okay to have a mish-mash society of hundreds or thousands of different peoples and that we can all peacefully find middle ground? Realize that we are all made up of the same stuff, have the same needs and desires?
Hell, I'd even settle for a life without religious wars, debate, hate, guilt, and fear generated by our leaders or even neighbors. (But, it's too much to ask for isn't it? Yes, from self-righteous hypocrites, it most certainly is.)
Notice how I did not take this line of thought down a road of self destruction? Because I think we could survive and get along better without differences of theologies since that is what causes the most friction between ourselves. :cp
Would people decide to take care of themselves better to live longer, fuller, more productive lives rather than sit around staring at a television set gaining massive amounts of weight until they can no longer leave their homes comfortably and loathe themselves for being incapacitated by their weight? Realizing this it, this is life, this is your only existence? "God" won't give you a second chance, nor recreate your body into a perfect image of yourself? You are only what YOU make of yourself...
Would we become more tolerant and willing to stand together for the sake of human progression? That if this is it, this is the only life we have and no one is watching over our actions to do the right thing because it is right and more conducive to a healthy and happy life? Not out of fear or guilt?
Would we strive more to live our dreams? Work harder to attain non-materialistic goals? (i.e. go travel the world, sky dive, give to help others, take care of your friends and family, learn new ideas and concepts and pass them on, grow a produce garden that has little impact yet has a high yield... etc.)
Could we live without hate, fear, and guilt? Could we live without the need to force beliefs, traditions, and punishments on each other? To know that we are all wrong in our hatred and need to "do OUR [almighty true] God's work" for him? That it is okay to have a mish-mash society of hundreds or thousands of different peoples and that we can all peacefully find middle ground? Realize that we are all made up of the same stuff, have the same needs and desires?
Hell, I'd even settle for a life without religious wars, debate, hate, guilt, and fear generated by our leaders or even neighbors. (But, it's too much to ask for isn't it? Yes, from self-righteous hypocrites, it most certainly is.)
Notice how I did not take this line of thought down a road of self destruction? Because I think we could survive and get along better without differences of theologies since that is what causes the most friction between ourselves. :cp