The Meaning of Life sans Religion
Besides the fact that everyone should know that “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything”, is 42 (if only we knew what the question was), atheists in particular are often asked where they find meaning in life.
I Do Not Believe in God. ANY God.
I’m not sure why, but despite being an atheist (about a 6-6.5 out of 7 on the Dawkins Scale http://bigthink.com/think-tank/atheism-easter-atheister) for the last 10 years or so, it is only recently that I have felt more comfortable writing about it, sharing articles on humanism, etc. Maybe it’s just because I’m just recently connecting with enough others to find a new community of like-minded people; maybe it’s because I still live in the Bible Belt and wonder if being openly atheist might hurt my business reputation; maybe it’s because I grow increasingly worried about the push by the Religious Right in the USA to make fundamentalist Christianity and part of government despite the Separation of Church and State; maybe something else. But I am becoming more comfortable with speaking about my lack of religious belief, whatever the cause.
Where Do I Find Meaning in Life?
Some of my Christian friends have asked me this question, about the meaning of life for those who don’t believe in a deity. It was a question that puzzled me, too, back when I was a Christian. Now it’s an easy question: I find meaning in those things that bring me joy and which bring joy to others for whom I care (and even those outside my circles). I find meaning in the simple fact of existence and having some ability to choose my own path. I find meaning in people, activities, and things that create wholeness, love, and fulfilment. I find meaning in building up others, and in building up myself, to be more than we were. To see more, to do more, to be more.
As John Newman was concluding in our recent discussion on Free Will over the weekend https://plus.google.com/+JohnNewmanIII/posts/CQAK37FDQYD, in the end, it doesn’t really matter whether the Universe is deterministic, non-deterministic, or compatibilist in nature. We examine the world around us as best we can and make the best decisions we can within our subjective reality. If it’s all been determined already…….ok. If we truly have Free Will…….ok. If it’s something of each…..ok. Some people believe God tells them, others believe they decide for themselves……in the end, we all make those decisions and have to live with them.
As an atheist, I simply don’t have to worry or hope about anything after I die. This is it. So I’m going to make the most of it as best I can.