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When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 13:46 - Sep 6 by nix
I'm fine about it, whatever they want to believe or do with their time. Specially if it gives them solace.
Problem is that religions tend to tell everyone else what they should be doing and how they live their lives - cos they've got the higher power on their side telling them they're in the right. And who can argue with that? Women not being able to speak in public places, go out in public without a man - well it's god saying it, innit? Anyone less filled with bliss and the milk of human kindness were the nuns at my school largely making everyone's life a misery.
Same with porn but I won't go into that.
yeah.
[Post edited 6 Sep 13:54]
The Duke Of New York. A-Number One.
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When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 13:55 - Sep 6 with 1691 views
Great thread. Thoughtful stuff. My direction of travel was the other way. Lived without any framework until mid 30s, and very anti any idea beyond myself. Took me to hell (homelessness and a whole lot more). Being gently introduced to an open mind spiritually was life changing beyond any reasonable hope. God I don't know about, but there does in my experience seem to be a measurable phenomenon related to the amount of honesty, kindness, generosity and other such behaviours I bring to the world. It's not Karma, a benefit profit and loss account, it is just goodness on its own account, in all things. I only manage a tiny bit but the impact is quietly awesome in a very ordinary way. Like God, afterlife is unknown, and it is entirely possible to have a rich meaningful life without knowing or needing to know. Some sort of faith that goodness has meaning is usefull though. Cheddar on everything also helps a lot.
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When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 17:09 - Sep 6 with 1261 views
I consider myself an atheist but an atheist with an open mind. There are things going on that we don't know about.
I experienced a week back in the 90's when I knew things were going to happen in advance. Nothing major but things such as;
If I buy a scratch card I will win £20. I did.
The train to York I regularly travelled on had first class at the rear, second class at the front. Waiting on the platform the board stated this was the case, the announcement on the Tannoy confirmed the same but I knew that the train would arrive back to front so walked down to the other end of the platform. I was right.
Walking down Loftus Road on the Saturday afternoon I knew that Danny Shittu would score the first goal. I don't gamble but put a fiver on this and collected £45 after the game.
Difficult to explain but these feelings were so strong, I just knew. I haven’t experienced anything similar since.
Fast forward twenty years and a stranger approached my sister during a large works party and gave her a message from our deceased father that only we would have known.
I think after death we will find out 'what this is all about' otherwise what is the point? If I don't find out I will be pretty annoyed.
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When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 18:38 - Sep 6 with 1143 views
When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 17:05 - Sep 6 by jonath1
Great thread. Thoughtful stuff. My direction of travel was the other way. Lived without any framework until mid 30s, and very anti any idea beyond myself. Took me to hell (homelessness and a whole lot more). Being gently introduced to an open mind spiritually was life changing beyond any reasonable hope. God I don't know about, but there does in my experience seem to be a measurable phenomenon related to the amount of honesty, kindness, generosity and other such behaviours I bring to the world. It's not Karma, a benefit profit and loss account, it is just goodness on its own account, in all things. I only manage a tiny bit but the impact is quietly awesome in a very ordinary way. Like God, afterlife is unknown, and it is entirely possible to have a rich meaningful life without knowing or needing to know. Some sort of faith that goodness has meaning is usefull though. Cheddar on everything also helps a lot.
I realised something many years ago when I used to work in sales where you had to interact with your customers several times in the course of doing the business and that is, people mirror the person they are with. One old guy who worked there was a bit slow and a bit of a plodder but luckily, his customers were a bit like that as well. On the other hand, the manager was off his tits on something and would bounce up to his customers and say very enthusiastically "HI!!, great to see you again! Coffee? Tea? Whiskey?" and they would all have a great laugh and I used to think to myself "Glad I didn't get them! They're just like him!" and that's when the penny dropped.
"there does in my experience seem to be a measurable phenomenon related to the amount of honesty, kindness, generosity and other such behaviours I bring to the world."
There ya go, there it is again. It's like those silly films where you can't tell a lie or you can only say 'yes' to a question. I don't think there's anything mystical in it, it's just part of human nature, we avoid bad, mean, nasty things/people and are attracted to good, honest, joyful people and then those characteristics/emotions are reflected back to us.
As for the meaning of life, I like to look at it another way. Take us out of the equation and look at the rest of life on the planet. What's the point or meaning in the life of a cat? A mouse? A fly? A plant? A blade of grass? There doesn't seem to be any meaning or point to any of them being here. Most animals spend their entire lives on high alert to avoid being eaten or to find something to eat. It's one huge well oiled machine that churns on and on with next to no help from us or a divine spirit promising eternity in an afterlife.
You look out to space and you can't comprehend the vastness of it all. You look back in time and struggle to imagine what the passing of a hundred million or a billion years looks like. Add in the widely accepted statements that 99.9% of all things that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct and that our own existence here (as homo sapiens, 300k years) amounts to a total of 5.7 seconds if the 4.54 billion years (US billion) of the planets existence was 24 hours. And we think we are somehow the main star of this show? Pah!
We get on the roller-coaster when we are pushed into this world and we get off when our time is up and it's up to you how you enjoy the ride. That's how I see it.
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When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 18:45 - Sep 6 with 1131 views
Figured out there was no god before leaving primary school. But I find meaning in life everywhere. I feel sorry for people who don't accept any meaning that doesn't come from something supernatural.
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When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 19:21 - Sep 6 with 1058 views
When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 13:46 - Sep 6 by nix
I'm fine about it, whatever they want to believe or do with their time. Specially if it gives them solace.
Problem is that religions tend to tell everyone else what they should be doing and how they live their lives - cos they've got the higher power on their side telling them they're in the right. And who can argue with that? Women not being able to speak in public places, go out in public without a man - well it's god saying it, innit? Anyone less filled with bliss and the milk of human kindness were the nuns at my school largely making everyone's life a misery.
Same with porn but I won't go into that.
I just opened a report that was released in Ireland this week about the abuse that was carried out in Religious schools Nicole and it was stomach churning disgusting .It was mostly carried out by priests/christian brothers and lay people but always connected to religion .The brutality those boys mostly suffered was life changing for the worst and they wont get justice because most of the predators are dead now. There was supposed to be a report on nuns physically and abusing girls in their care but it appears to to have been swept away under some rug . As for God its impossible to know because nobody has arrived back from the afterlife yet but if it gives comfort ,solace and peace then why not I say. I try to live by my concious ,hurt nobody ,help who I can and try and show my kids who will carry on my name the way to lead productive lives and far surpass what I was able to achieve
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When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 19:31 - Sep 6 with 1000 views
Age six years old, chose to support the blue and white hoops. Why ???
2. No God
When Paul Parker aka God deflected a free kick into a goal supposedly protected by Peter Shilton and ultimately knocking out England s best chance for world cup glory
When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 19:31 - Sep 6 by numptydumpty
Realisation
1. No meaning to life
Age six years old, chose to support the blue and white hoops. Why ???
2. No God
When Paul Parker aka God deflected a free kick into a goal supposedly protected by Peter Shilton and ultimately knocking out England s best chance for world cup glory
[Post edited 6 Sep 19:31]
How about Highbury in 1982 when a West Brom clearance hit Clive Allen's knee?
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When you realised there was no meaning to life and no God on 19:56 - Sep 6 with 948 views
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