The great gift of atheism is the now
Sam Harris on Death and the Present Moment
This is incredibly moving and motivating. But ti does make me wonder why atheists are so afraid of being profound. IS reason and delight at odds? I wouldn't have thought so.
Reason and delight are not at odds.
But there's a certain finality of "nothing happens after death" that seems inherently undelightful.
While searching for more on the subject, I found this.
Maybe it's thinking and delight that are at odds.
The more I think about how iPad is made, the less delighted I am with it.
I long for an ecstatic atheism. I wrote this to try to speak to how I feel about it. http://nothing-new.com/?p=160
Adam is right on the money: Analysis reduces emotion. When bad things happen it's a very good idea to explain them. When good things happen, just enjoy.
Couldn't a final death result in a cherry blossom aesthetic? I think that's what has resonated with me in Sam Harris's mindfulness practice in the middle of his talk...
if this is all we've got, commit to it!
Let us celebrate the glorious nothing with beauty instead of sadness!
I like that.
