How materialists find meaning in life

[The Transcended Omniverse]

From my perspective to be emotionally neutered into nothing but mania is no different than losing yourself to death. You're no longer you, and the growth was just as temporary. But with far less meaning if you're just waiting for it to end and not making the most of it.

I don't care about what your personal definition of growth is. It is only my definition that I find meaning in. That is, becoming more and more of a person and achieving great things in my life through enjoyment and being happy. I need to be happy and enjoy any given purpose in my life. Otherwise, I find no meaning in any of it and is nothing but miserable to me. So this is the reason why I would actually choose to sacrifice everything about me as a person and all personal growth (your definition of growth) for my personal definition of growth which would be living an eternal blissful life.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I am fine with people criticizing my compositions. I would want to become a better composer and compose the types of music I want. But when it comes to how I live my life and pursue my hobbies, then I only pursue those things through the survival mechanism of my brain (as I explained earlier). It makes no sense to me how a person is better if they choose to have suffering and a finite life. I would make the best of this life just as good and even better through being happy. I could compose any type of music I want through my happiness whether they be dark, gothic, or even blissful compositions. So I see no need for suffering and death whatsoever.

If it makes sense to endure the pain of criticism to improve as an artist then it makes sense for life too.
Any way, I don't believe anyone chooses whether or not their life is finite. I believe life is finite whether you want it to be or not. And that wishing it weren't makes no difference.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I don't care about what your personal definition of growth is. It is only my definition that I find meaning in. That is, becoming more and more of a person and achieving great things in my life through enjoyment and being happy. I need to be happy and enjoy any given purpose in my life. Otherwise, I find no meaning in any of it and is nothing but miserable to me. So this is the reason why I would actually choose to sacrifice everything about me as a person and all personal growth (your definition of growth) for my personal definition of growth which would be living an eternal blissful life.

Sounds like a personal problem of arbitrary self limitation to me. Like people who think they can't find meaning without drugs, that they need drugs for the widest range of human experience.
And anyway if nobody else's definitions matter to you, why post it in a discussion forum posed specifically to people who have a different definition?

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

If it makes sense to endure the pain of criticism to improve as an artist then it makes sense for life too.
Any way, I don't believe anyone chooses whether or not their life is finite. I believe life is finite whether you want it to be or not. And that wishing it weren't makes no difference.

I have no misery whatsoever from being criticized as an artist.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I have no misery whatsoever from being criticized as an artist.

Lots do. So maybe you need to have a different look at what makes you miserable and why.

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

Lots do. So maybe you need to have a different look at what makes you miserable and why.

It is because we as human beings have an innate desire to be happy and survive (live for all eternity in eternal bliss). Hence the reason why we have beliefs such as Christianity which offer an eternal blissful life. It was an escape from suffering and death. It is a survival mechanism. I myself don't have that other mechanism which defies that survival mechanism. I am not the type of person at all who finds meaning in a finite, suffering, unhappy life. This life is not compatible with who I am. The only life that can ever be compatible with me is one where I feel good for all eternity, no suffering, and can live forever which I don't think is a life that even exists. So I might as well give up on this life already now. If I can't have any life that is compatible with me, then there was never any meaning or anything for me at all in being here.

 

[George-ananda]

If it makes sense to endure the pain of criticism to improve as an artist then it makes sense for life too.
Any way, I don't believe anyone chooses whether or not their life is finite. I believe life is finite whether you want it to be or not. And that wishing it weren't makes no difference.

That is the key question here as I see it: Whether we believe life is finite or not? If you believe it is finite then make the best of it with that fact in mind. I would find that view depressing but what can I do but make the best of it? If someone 1) doesn't believe in eternal life but 2) at the same time requires that belief to have a happy life then we are at an impasse with no possible resolution except to change one of the two positions.

Personally, I believe (from evidence from the paranormal and spiritual masters I have come to respect) that consciousness is not physical but eternal and we continue until realization of the Oneness of all consciousness. We change slowly every second along the way.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

It is because we as human beings have an innate desire to be happy and survive (live for all eternity in eternal bliss). Hence the reason why we have beliefs such as Christianity which offer an eternal blissful life. It was an escape from suffering and death. It is a survival mechanism. I myself don't have that other mechanism which defies that survival mechanism. I am not the type of person at all who finds meaning in a finite, suffering, unhappy life. This life is not compatible with who I am. The only life that can ever be compatible with me is one where I feel good for all eternity, no suffering, and can live forever which I don't think is a life that even exists. So I might as well give up on this life already now. If I can't have any life that is compatible with me, then there was never any meaning or anything for me at all in being here.

Again, that sounds like a self imposed limitation. Like saying life would be meaningless without drugs I have no trouble enjoying my life even though it will be finite and I have no desire for what I described as emotional neutering.
I think this 'survival mechanism' is more like how most of our bodies enjoy and seek out sugary foods. But nothing but sugar isn't healthy.

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

Again, that sounds like a self imposed limitation. Like saying life would be meaningless without drugs I have no trouble enjoying my life even though it will be finite and I have no desire for what I described as emotional neutering.
I think this 'survival mechanism' is more like how most of our bodies enjoy and seek out sugary foods. But nothing but sugar isn't healthy.

Too much sugar would wreck havoc on your body and could kill you over time. But having nothing but eternal bliss won't. As long as you are happy and are finding meaning in such a life, then how can it be unhealthy?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

That is the key question here as I see it: Whether we believe life is finite or not? If you believe it is finite then make the best of it with that fact in mind. I would find that view depressing but what can I do but make the best of it? If someone 1) doesn't believe in eternal life but 2) at the same time requires that belief to have a happy life then we are at an impasse with no possible resolution except to change one of the two positions.

Personally, I believe (from evidence from the paranormal and spiritual masters I have come to respect) that consciousness is not physical but eternal and we continue until realization of the Oneness of all consciousness. We change slowly every second along the way.

Personally I believe, from evidence in psychology, that everything which makes us conscious individuals is tied directly to physical mechanisms which support that function. And that the destruction of the physical mechanism is tantamount to the destruction of the conscious individual. I don't view it as depressing, but amazing. And I feel fortunate to have this amazing life without the need to attach what I believe is metaphysical skullduggery to to boundary.
So yes, I'd say we're at an impasse. But in a thread that's a call to materialists, it can't be surprising this impasse would be found.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Too much sugar would wreck havoc on your body and could kill you over time. But having nothing but eternal bliss won't. As long as you are happy and are finding meaning in such a life, then how can it be unhealthy?

I just described how I think it would. Emotionally stunting you and not permitting growth.
Are you familiar with Brave New World?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Even if you can be the greatest person now, all of that is reduced to nothing in the end which makes you nothing as a person in the end. No one should ever be reduced to nothing. We are human beings here and we should not be mere biology. We should be more than just our biology and no human being should ever be reduced to nothing.

Never will be nothing. We are essentally atoms.

The entirety of our atomic being has been around for "ahem" quite a while already, and will be far past our immediate arrangement as a human being which is just a transitory arrangment as things always have been.

Nothings admiss at all. ;0)

 

[outhouse]

I don't see it that way at all.

It could be the same as saying I refuse reality! I choose to keep fingers in my ear ad go nah nah nah nah nah nah until you go away.

 

[outhouse]

I see a person. I see a soul

So you yourself cannot tell the difference.

It could be,,,,,,, You see a person and imagine a soul

 

[outhouse]

The only thing that makes you somebody is living on forever

How do you mentally jump this imaginative hurdle?

 

[outhouse]

So, in conclusion, it is all about never dying and living on forever.

You will factually die one day.

Anything else is faith based mythology by all credible reasoning.

 

[outhouse]

. If such a life existed,

Even you question this place no one really describes in any detail. Maybe that is because it is ancient mens mythology born from kings who wanted to not loose all they worked and obtained all their mortal lives.

We see for many it did not work out so well.

 

[outhouse]

As long as you are DOWN in life in which you have much suffering only to forever die in the end, then that is both a lesser person and a lesser life.

I feel sorry for people like you.

You have the utter gall to think your superior to others for defining mythology you know absolutely nothing about. You look down on people while being no better using what I believe is obvious ignorance to make this false biased faith claim.

Who do you think you are to judge anyone?

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

It could be the same as saying I refuse reality! I choose to keep fingers in my ear ad go nah nah nah nah nah nah until you go away.

Not too many people can accept reality. To be mere biology that will forever die out one day is an utter inferior and primitive abomination to me. It is nothing more than surviving and dying like bacteria. But to be immortal and transcended with all the power of the universe coursing through you is something far greater than this primitive abomination. I see people who accept death as nothing more than these primitive abominations since it is no different than accepting yourself as being reduced to that status. I myself would never accept such a low-life inferior status.

 

[outhouse]

To be mere biology that will forever die out one day is an utter inferior and primitive abomination to me.

And if this is the truth, where does it leave you?

This living forever was factually born in mythology, and is not a credible position outside theology or mythology.