Things I Want

[Lejuan]

Yay for more f#$@ing threads!

I disagree with your want. It only makes it easier because it negates the question. Looking outside of life for answers about life is like going to China to understand Martians (although, I know several people of faith who think the Chinese are in cahoots with Mars, so...)

...very true, but it does make it easier, don't you think? Atheism is hard.

I've been dealing with a bit of loss and fear of loss lately, as well as an ongoing existentialist crisis that is characterised by an unfocused resentment that I actually do really quite enjoy life, but it will one day be taken away from me. How marvelous it must be for adherents of an after-life or reincarnation to contemplate the meaning of life. How satisfying for those who subscribe to karmic retribution, or divine judgement on all things.

I sometimes spend time in church, as my kids are attending a Catholic school. As I sit on the pew, I look around at the other folks there, contemplating something bigger, grander and meaningful than this physical world, and I think to myself, "You lucky, lucky bastards".

I think at this point I'd settle for agnosticism, which is where I was at a few years ago. Hopefully it's just a phase I'm going through.

The end of cancer would be nice. One big life-fear gone for good.

My recently deceased dog back to at least get a normal doggy life-span. He died aged 9 where Westies are generally expected to reach 12 and beyond I think. ****ing pancreatitis (sp?).

And to win the lotto.

With an aunt recently deceased from cancer, and my mother-in-law living her final months; a dog who's on his last legs at the age of 11 and a cat who's 18; and a job that pays the bills but not much else...

I commend your wants

 

[devilof76]

...very true, but it does make it easier, don't you think? Atheism is hard.

I'm sure it makes it much easier. Another word for that is trivialize.

I've been dealing with a bit of loss and fear of loss lately, as well as an ongoing existentialist crisis that is characterised by an unfocused resentment that I actually do really quite enjoy life, but it will one day be taken away from me. How marvelous it must be for adherents of an after-life or reincarnation to contemplate the meaning of life. How satisfying for those who subscribe to karmic retribution, or divine judgement on all things.

What's so special about an afterlife? (I mean, besides not ever having to worry about death.)

I sometimes spend time in church, as my kids are attending a Catholic school. As I sit on the pew, I look around at the other folks there, contemplating something bigger, grander and meaningful than this physical world, and I think to myself, "You lucky, lucky bastards".

What's wrong with this world? (Again, besides having to worry about death.)

 

[Lejuan]

I'm sure it makes it much easier. Another word for that is trivialize.

What is considered trivial is subjective though. The trouble with atheism is that there is no real belief architecture to it, therefore what is deemed to be trivial is defined by oneself rather than outsourced to a higher power. That's quite a responsibility.

What's so special about an afterlife? (I mean, besides not ever having to worry about death.)

Nup. That's it. Just not having to worry about death is enough for me. But if I could cherry-pick my religious beliefs, a 72-virgin orgy has its appeal.

What's wrong with this world? (Again, besides having to worry about death.)

Nup, that's it. The death thing again. You've highlighted a pattern here.

Hmm. Considering your posts, I think I am allowing the perceived finality of death to disproportionately define my experience of life. What a waste of time. Thanks for so economically drawing this to my attention Devil!

New want: to enjoy a sunny autumn afternoon with a square of special brownie, which I just happen to have in the freezer

 

[devilof76]

What is considered trivial is subjective though. The trouble with atheism is that there is no real belief architecture to it, therefore what is deemed to be trivial is defined by oneself rather than outsourced to a higher power. That's quite a responsibility.

Look at it from the positive side: what is deemed valuable is defined by oneself. However, since life is finite, value can't be subjective. It's defined in terms of the life to be lived.

An atheistic universe still requires an abstract framework for understanding it. The difference is that the information required to do so is right in front of you. It's based on reality as perceived by human beings, and not a reality that alleges to be beyond their comprehension. Because that's how you get around death. If every rational effort to understand comes to the conclusion that life ends at death, then the only way to arrive at the opposite conclusion is to deny rationality.

Nup. That's it. Just not having to worry about death is enough for me. But if I could cherry-pick my religious beliefs, a 72-virgin orgy has its appeal.

Nup, that's it. The death thing again. You've highlighted a pattern here.

Hmm. Considering your posts, I think I am allowing the perceived finality of death to disproportionately define my experience of life. What a waste of time. Thanks for so economically drawing this to my attention Devil!

Death is scary. Kinda makes you appreciate being alive...

 

[ZaCHw117]

I don't want anything, I've got everything I need right here.

 

[devilof76]

I want so much I could explode.

 

[TheFiend]

Wow a lot of heavy talk in this thread.

Heres one for you. I believe in God. I just don't like him much.

No, I'm not kidding.

Sent from my LG-E739 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jen]

I want to win the Powerball lottery. I want to be able to retire and not worry about my finances. And I want good health (which I do have now) but hope I continue to have in the future. And I want to be able to afford someone to do my yard work (hence winning the lottery). And after I win the lottery I would like to surprise my friends and family with surprise anonymous gifts. And I want to be able to travel and pay for my parents to go on a nice trip and not worry about their futures (lottery again). And I want a Suburu. And if I meet a nice guy who likes me for me...that would be swell. And I want my dog, Coco to never get old. And I want my brother to stay with a job and stop bumming money from me. And right now I would love a little sunshine...this rain is getting old. And when it gets hot, I would like air conditioning. I think that's about it.

 

[Kamandi]

I want faith.

I think all the questions of life, death and the universe are easier to contemplate when one has faith in a higher power.

I also want Sideshow to replace my scratched up C-3PO with a shiny smooth one.

What do you want?

As a parent who's also a lapsed catholic I understand how you feel, especially now that my children are starting to ask questions about God. My parents can't help themselves but to engage in a bit of indoctrination and I can't bring myself to tell my kids I don't believe. How am I supposed to look my little girls in the eyes and tell them I think when we die that's it? A box in the ground.

I like the idea of an afterlife, I wish I could believe in it.

It's religion and religious judgmental people who piss me off.


.

 

[Lejuan]

As a parent who's also a lapsed catholic I understand how you feel, especially now that my children are starting to ask questions about God. My parents can't help themselves but to engage in a bit of indoctrination and I can't bring myself to tell my kids I don't believe. How am I supposed to look my little girls in the eyes and tell them I think when we die that's it? A box in the ground.

I like the idea of an afterlife, I wish I could believe in it.

It's religion and religious judgmental people who piss me off.

.

Interesting to hear your perspective Kamandi, because my current thinking only started when I had kids a few years ago. It's tricky when they're still in the concrete thinking stage because spirituality can be so abstract. I find myself saying, "I don't know - nobody really knows" a lot. I tell my 7-year old she needs to make her own meaning about life based on her own experiences of it. But the whole 'what happens when we die' business, yeah... that's especially tough.

Oddly, the one response to her questions about death and dying I've given her that seemed to really resonate with her was a throwaway line: "Dying's a bummer". I think it encapsulated the tragedy and absurdity of it all for her in a way that she could accept

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJlV49RDlLE[/ame]

 

[crows]

something I want to know is if there is actually an afterlife or not.

about reincarnation, I like the idea of it, I am not saying I believe in it, but I like the idea that you can come back.

 

[devilof76]

There isn't.

Interesting to hear your perspective Kamandi, because my current thinking only started when I had kids a few years ago. It's tricky when they're still in the concrete thinking stage because spirituality can be so abstract. I find myself saying, "I don't know - nobody really knows" a lot. I tell my 7-year old she needs to make her own meaning about life based on her own experiences of it. But the whole 'what happens when we die' business, yeah... that's especially tough.

My niece has spent several years in parochial schools, and her mom is a serious Catholic who doesn't make it to church very often. I have been like a father to her since she was about 2, and I've managed to bite my tongue for the past 10 years.

My dad died of cancer three years ago at the age of 61. Like me, he was a prominent male figure in her life. She has come to her own conclusions at this point regarding prayer and afterlife and God, and none of them rated favorably.

Basically, when called upon, it all failed, and the lack of practicality earned her skepticism. As you said, spirituality is abstract, and children are very concrete. That makes me wonder what is wrong with adults that they abandon the need for spiritual matters to have concrete, material relevance. I'm guessing that the older they get, the more they're inclined to put their eggs in the basket on the other side. Children are too oriented towards life to take death seriously.

I wonder exactly what trait of character causes a child to turn against religion when they first encounter death, as opposed to embracing it.

 

[The Ween]

You are loved, you should be happy, security is overrated, and I don't think you're hairy enough for dwarf tastes.

I know I'm loved, but not in THAT way.

I'm not as happy as I want to be. Refer to above.

Well, for Armitage I'll let it grow out.

 

[The Ween]

They've been out for a little while now, but some of us are biting since Amazon has a pretty decent discount on him right now.

Are you talking the PFs or the $400 1/6 that SSC is selling?

 

[The Ween]

I want to win the Powerball lottery. I want to be able to retire and not worry about my finances. And I want good health (which I do have now) but hope I continue to have in the future. And I want to be able to afford someone to do my yard work (hence winning the lottery). And after I win the lottery I would like to surprise my friends and family with surprise anonymous gifts. And I want to be able to travel and pay for my parents to go on a nice trip and not worry about their futures (lottery again). And I want a Suburu. And if I meet a nice guy who likes me for me...that would be swell. And I want my dog, Coco to never get old. And I want my brother to stay with a job and stop bumming money from me. And right now I would love a little sunshine...this rain is getting old. And when it gets hot, I would like air conditioning. I think that's about it.

Most of this I could've written myself!

 

[a-dev]

I don't think about death all the time but when I do I do wish I could believe in an afterlife.

Alas I just can't. Life and existance isn't exactly how I would like it to be as I know it right now and I don't expect that to conveniently change after I die. Wanting something to be will not make it be.

What seems most plausible to me, based on past (lack of?) experience, is that when we die we simply revert to the state we were in before we were born. I see no reason to believe anything else is the case much as I may want to.

How I will deal with this as I get older and older and thus closer to death I'm not sure to be honest. Thats assuming I live to old age, I might not

 

[crows]

so there is no human soul?

 

[OSCORP]

I want atheists to just be atheists and not know-it-all's.

 

[a-dev]

I believe only in consciousness, which lasts only as long as we are alive.

When you get into talk about eternal souls I wonder where does it stop - does every life form no matter how small have a soul. If not why not? How do we even presume to know one way or another?

I want atheists to just be atheists and not know-it-all's.

Is that directed at anyone in this thread?

 

[batfan08]

I want a new drug
One that won't make me sick
One that won't make me crash my car
Or make me feel three feet thick

I want a new drug
One that won't hurt my head
One that won't make my mouth too dry
Or make my eyes too red

One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
One that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you
When I'm alone with you

I want a new drug
One that won't spill
One that don't cost too much
Or come in a pill

I want a new drug
One that won't go away
One that won't keep me up all night
One that won't make me sleep all day

One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
One that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you
When I'm alone with you
I'm alone with you baby

I want a new drug
One that does what it should
One that won't make me feel too bad
One that won't make me feel too good

I want a new drug
One with no doubt
One that won't make me talk too much
Or make my face break out

One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
One that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you
When I'm alone with you
All alone with you
All alone with you, yea, yea