Atheism and old age....

We all know we are eventually gonna die and the atheists know it's most certainly going to be the eternal end. However lets not kid ourselves, this is hardly in our minds in everyday life. While some theists apparently consider it suicide worthy news, we have accepted that we are not going to last eternally but it's not something we "carry" with ourselves most of the time. We have our finite ambitions in life driving us and they seem to never end, you accomplish one thing and there's already something else you want.

But there will come a time when darkness will prevail. Once your children are married and well settled in their lives and you are a 70 year old wrinkly mess, what happens then? A devoted theist awaits a meeting with the lord and the moderates also mostly believe there is something coming. A strong atheist "knows" it's all coming to an end, the pain of the process of death is absolutely astonishing in even many natural circumstances. For a theist death is a hurdle that will bring ultimate pain but there is still hope after it.

I will be honest, I am completely lost when I think about old age due in large to the fact that I just cant even seem to remain agnostic about afterlife. I know intellectually you shouldn't outright deny it but my feelings just don't accept even the slightest possibility of it. The real problem is that you will be fully healthy and conscious and yet will know that you have lived your life and the eternal end is near.

So what do we do here? What solution can humanity find of this problem? Is atheism worth the objective worthlessness that it ultimately and unintentionally portrays?

So what do we do here? What solution can humanity find of this problem? Is atheism worth the objective worthlessness that it ultimately and unintentionally portrays?

Well, if I was an atheist, I would just try to do things that I deem meaningful--like studying and trying to make the world a better place--until I die.

I don't worry about an afterlife because it's something that may or may not be true. There are lots of things in life that may or may not be true, so why should I hold an afterlife on a pedestal? how is it any more credible than the other things?

It has no dominion over me.

I have often thought that atheism is probably easier for us young-uns than it is for the elderly. The closer we are to death and the worse our quality of life is the harder it will be to cope with our mortality. I think I can handle it as long as I still have a sense of humour but goodness knows what my train of thought will be if my faculties become dull and tired.

As for whether or not an atheistic world view is worth all that melodrama, well I still hold that hard truths are better than comfortable delusions.

I'm fairly certain I'm past the half-way marker post of my life, so feel well qualified to answer this.

I can't see what the problem is. The things that drive you in early life are similar to the things that drive you on in later life. Lessons I'm learning during my middle-age have included re-definitions of my limitations, perspectives and approaches to life. People often tend to change their way of living throughout their lives, so dealing with the changes old age presents seems natural.

There is also a familiarity with death that grows with age. Typically, older people have been to more funerals than younger people, so are used to dealing with the concepts death presents them. One reason people choose life-partners is the thought that someone will be there to share their trials and fears.

Also, and this will undoubtedly sound patronising, but I'll say it anyway (or try)... Was it Oscar Wilde or Mark Twain that said something like: "I wish I knew half of what I thought I'd known when I was a young man"? I'm not trying to debunk the knowledge of youth, but suggesting that the way people think about things can and does change conceptually as they age. Peoples' approach to life and attitudes to death are big parts of their characters, which do evolve (or stagnate) with peoples' lives.

Knowing about the finality of this life can be a benefit in compelling people to do the things they want or need to. It is a the only certain milestone where you can constantly assess the fulfilment you expect from your life, reflect on your previous contentment and then make plans to achieve more fulfilment.

My atheism is an acknowledgement of truth. I don't believe in a deity because I don't see any evidence for one. Regardless of my dire circumstances or my own mortality as long as there exists no compelling evidence for a deity; my position won't change. So the question 'is it worth it?' doesn't really make sense to me. It seems like the equivalent of denying some historic event because you don't like the implications that event bears on the present. Or denying some disease because you don't want to deal with it. Or pretending you are in debt because you don't like the idea of being foreclosed on. Frattracide

If you deny some disease then you can only deny it for so long before it starts showing the serious consequences of ignoring it, same is the case with your debt example, you will HAVE to face the music ultimately so it's better to do it earlier so perhaps you can save the situation from getting worse and worse.

In the case of religion, if there is no afterlife then a believer will never actually face the music cuz he will not be there to know that fact.

How would eternal life make this life more worth living than finite life? If anything it would make this life pretty damn worthless. I mean, 70-100 years as compared to infinity? Doesn't seem like this life would hold much, if any, value if you truly believe you're going to live forever after you die.

Anyway, as a budding scientist I take the view that it's always best to admit reality since denying it changes nothing. And In my opinion the reality is that it doesn't matter if you believe you're going to live forever or not, that still won't change the fact that you're going to die and stay dead like every other organism that has ever existed. It's not a choice or philosophy, it's the way that things are.

How would eternal life make this life more worth living than finite life? If anything it would make this life pretty damn worthless. I mean, 70-100 years as compared to infinity? Doesn't seem like this life would hold much, if any, value if you truly believe you're going to live forever after you die.

Anyway, as a budding scientist I take the view that it's always best to admit reality since denying it changes nothing. And In my opinion the reality is that it doesn't matter if you believe you're going to live forever or not, that still won't change the fact that you're going to die and stay dead like every other organism that has ever existed. It's not a choice or philosophy, it's the way that things are.

gameguy6700

I do agree that truth matters most, I firmly believe in that but sometimes I wonder if it indeed should apply to every truth.

Obviously a very strong belief in afterlife can result in some very undesirable consequences(suicide bombing for example) but I also believe that a belief in afterlife and god prevents some people from acting evil. But I guess that gets a different debate altogether. 

Dr. House once said, "Our bodies break down, sometimes when we're 90, sometimes before we're even born, but it always happens and there's never any dignity in it! I don't care if you can walk, see, wipe your own ass... it's always ugly, always! You can live with dignity; you can't die with it!"Genetic_Code