Keira Knightley gets it.

Religious people all seem to think that it is the Atheist who lacks morality and gets to live the hedonistic life without consequence. But the truth is that, without a god or devil to blame, we feel entirely responsible for both our achievements and our mistakes.

We are burdened with the knowledge that we must make the best of what we have in this life, both the good and the bad, as there is no "get out of death free card" awaiting us at the end.

(Source.)

Stephen Hawking on the afterlife.

"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he said. 

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," he added.

I sometimes find myself struck silent by the musings of seemingly intelligent people about the possibilities of an afterlife.

I think the realization that such a thing was not possible occurred to me quite young, and my research and musings since have only reinforced the obviousness of that realization.

Our consciousness is really only a collection of our memories and experiences, that are contained within the computer housed within our skulls.

Once that amazing machine is rendered inoperable our memories, our consciousness, our soul if you will, are also gone forever.

This would seem as obvious as the realization that once the heart stops pumping blood our bodies no longer function, and yet the opposite is held so dear by so many of us that to suggest the lack of a life following this is considered heretical even by many of those who consider themselves non-religious. 

I often think of it in terms of a USB flash drive.

Though it may be fairly bulging with documents, and pictures, and video of a person's life, if there are no more computers left to read the information it essentially does not exist. And it is as if the life contained within was never lived.

That is why I always stress the importance of experiencing all this life has to offer. Rather than mourn the loss of eternity, instead we should embrace and squeeze joy out of the one life that we have.

Every kiss should be savored, every laugh echoed by our own, and every moment of pain respected for the lesson that it teaches.

In that way we will touch the lives of those around us in a fashion which carries some small part of us forward. And as they touch the lives of others as well, perhaps our brief life will have an impact that lives past our final breath.

(Source)

The real difference between the Atheist and the Theist.

Essentially at its core the difference is that the religious are concerned with life after death, while the non-religious are focused on the one before.

We live our lives as if it is our only one, because it is.

Therefore we enjoy it for the opportunity that it provides to live, laugh, and love without the fear that living too fully, laughing too long, or loving too much will deny us access to the more rewarding life that some have convinced themselves follows this.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

The purpose of life is to nurture and protect those that follow our own.

84 year old man shoots and kills his son over cable dispute. Plans to continue the argument in the afterlife.

Courtesy of the Star Tribune: 

An 84-year-old Maplewood man fatally shot his son over a dispute about installing cable in the family home, according to charges filed Thursday. 

Pang Se Vang, 84, was charged in Ramsey County District Court with second-degree murder in the death of his son, Chue Vang, 36. 

Maplewood police responded to the family home in the 1800 block of County Road B East about 11:51 a.m. Monday, where they found Chue Vang dead in a hallway and Pang Vang bleeding from self-inflicted knife wounds to the chest and neck. 

According to the complaint: Pang Vang called his pastor that morning and said he was upset that Chue Vang would not pay to install cable in the home. Chue Vang owned the home and lived with his parents and siblings. Father and son had argued, and Chue Vang told his father he could move out, the pastor told authorities. 

Pang Vang’s wife said their son asked his dad to talk to his sons about any problems. 

“I’m not talking with you kids,” Pang Vang said before closing himself off in his bedroom. 

Chue Vang opened the bedroom door, said, “Dad!” and was shot once by his father, charges said. 

Another son wrestled a rifle away from their father and family members fled the home. 

“If you are not afraid of dying then come in and bother me,” Pang Vang told his wife when she confronted him in their bedroom. “If you are afraid of dying, then you better run away.” 

Damn, this guy really holds grudge. Still I am sure that he must feel terrible about killing his son over something so trivial. Or not:

Pang Vang eventually surrendered to police after telling them he would settle the dispute with his deceased son in the afterlife.

So apparently being very religious, does NOT make you a more moral person? Gee who would have thunk it?

Well it's a good thing the old man had a rifle to protect him from losing an argument with his son.

You know the only thing that stops a bad son from not installing cable and offering to pay for it, is a good father with a bad attitude and a loaded rifle.

Of course the next stage of this conflict may be a little tougher on the old man, because I am not sure that they allow guns in heaven.

What am I saying? There is NO way that so many conservatives would be working so hard to get there if they didn't!

Finally! An afterlife that I can believe in.

And my favorite part is I don't have to live my life by some ancient primitive standards in order to access it.

I'm serious, I think I might do this. I would love to be part of nature and to "live" forever as something that provides life giving oxygen to the planet.

Does the universe have purpose? Here let Neil deGrasse explain why that's kind of a stupid question.

This represents one of my pet peeves, the idea that there has to be a "Why" to existence.

Why are we here? What does it all mean? What is our purpose?

How arrogant to believe that everything has to have a purpose just to satisfy OUR desire to make information conform to our limited ability to understand it. And then to simply create a purpose in our fertile imaginations, while demanding that everybody accept it as fact, is even more egregious.

Perhaps things simply are, they just exist, with no definable purpose except that they can.

Then wouldn't it be up to each individual sentient being to determine their own purpose for themselves? Or is that simply TOO much responsibility for most people?

And while we're on the subject of understanding, just what is it about human beings that makes them feel entitled to an eternal life?

Everything we see, and touch, and experience has a shelf life. All of it, at least on this planet, is finite and has both a beginning and an end.

Yet as a species we have created an alternative possibility for ourselves that includes the possibility that after we take our last breath we simply move on to some other plane of existence.

But why do we feel that we deserve this "Get out of Death Free" card?

Is it that we feel that we are somehow better and more deserving than the other creatures that share our planet? Or are we just so arrogant that we simply cannot imagine a universe without our presence?

Personally I feel that it is the very brevity of our existence which provides the impetus to do something of value with it. To provide love to others. To create something that will last past your final hours. To make a small or profound positive change that will better the lives of those around you.

How would we know how precious life is, if it was eternal?

I am just honored to have had the opportunity to live, when so many others were denied that choice. And can only hope that I have left laughter in my wake, created light in the darkness, and loved often and without restraint.

Really what more do I deserve, what more could I want?