Wow... Truth without dressing or condiments. That’s how I like it.

I wasn’t expecting so much direct and straight forward honesty, but I love it. You have valid, strong points that are difficult to deny. I’m also in my 40s, but am still trying to find some viable alternative to nihilism. It’s hard though, because it seems to make so much sense...

Thanks for your thoughts

@Lucignolo thank you. I think atheists make a tough call. There is nothing except your conscience and hard cold reality. No comfort, no forgiveness, no cleansing of sin, no hope in an afterlife, and for many of us, no belief in soul. That’s a hard reality to choose when things are tough in life.
I choose the harshness of atheism because my brain will not permit illogical belief or delusional thinking. But I am aware such delusions offer a lot of people a cushion in life, a comfort blanket, and I cannot deny that would be nice to have. I can’t criticize people for wanting hope and comfort. It’s natural for most people to want and need something to believe in.

He has interesting ideas worth considering. He is an author and wrote a whole book on meaning.

He doesn’t have the arrogance to dictate what’s meaningful to others. He approaches it from a philosophical/etiologic perspective.

As smart as one can be, by reading and listening to other’s ideas one can gain new perspective or straight learn things he had no clue about. That’s the idea behind education.

Most and foremost, I don’t care about meaning for myself. As I explained int he post, I’m trying to find better answers for religious people that can’t let go of religion because they can’t conceive the idea that life is meaningless. Some people find the idea of a meaningless universe absurd, not from a rational standpoint, but from an emotional one. They know religion is equally absurd deep down, but to many, the idea of a creator is less absurd than the idea of a universe with no purpose. I want a secular theory of meaning, but here nobody is up to the task. I have to say it’s disappointing to see most atheists here have given little thought to these issues.

@uuberdude yes, he’s wrong on many things, although articulate.

Some of the things he says are valuable though.

I think many people desperately need to feel their life has a meaning beyond materialistic or mundane things. That keeps them clinging to religion, charlatans, and other sellers of lies. I wish for a world free of religion and magical thinking. The only way it will be achieved is through an evolution of ideas. Atheism today is just nihilism, it offers no hope to people that can’t live without it or that are told to find their own. Since I want atheism to be a viable option, that can be successful, I am seeking new answers and engaging in all sorts of new ideas. That gives me meaning and purpose. ? Ultimately I’d like to leave the world a better place than I found it and I believe finding ways to allow people to digest and accept the truth is a great one.

@Lucignolo I agree totally with regard to the nihilistic aspect of atheism. The way it is presented in some schools of thought is no different to a proselytised religion with the same mentality in play as some of the fundamental aspects of Christianity and Islam. Just different content

@Lucignolo I would suggest that the first course of action is to encourage existential ideas. Heidegger brings in some good fundamentals but, for me, only really kicks things off. Overlay him with some Taoist and Negative Theology might take it further. I’m quite happy to be a sounding board or kick some ideas around if you would like

Good one

Very interesting! Thanks!

I like that logic. It’s a great argument against religions that assign to this life the meaning of “quiz to get to heaven”. In that view I guess Heaven’s purpose is: being complete and being content to be with God and part of God or something like that I guess.

I, like you, don’t believe in Heaven or afterlife. Which means any meaning must be contained within this life and this life alone. I’m not opposed to the idea of “no meaning at all”. Although what I’m seeking is a secular idea of meaning. Something beautiful and thoughtful that can be used to offer some hope to religious people that can’t leave religion because they find the idea of “nothing matters” inconceivable. It’s a very hard task given most likely the universe just is, and life simply happened in a tiny tiny pocket. Even is that’s true, as I and most of you rationally expect, there may be broader philosophical justifications for meaning that are better then simply saying “find your own meaning” or “there is no meaning”.

@Lucignolo
Looking to heaven to make one "content" is really an admission that one has failed to find contentment in this life. I personally have no such problem and my life has been difficult in many ways. Even so, what magic would make one content or happy 24x7? It is not in human nature, or in nature period, to be ecstatic 24x7. That means that our very nature would have to be changed in some fundamental way that is incomprehensible. I think many people view heaven as similar to being in a drugged state 24x7 without falling prey to physical addiction. But this would essentially be similar to being in a zombie-like drugged state with no purpose other than to be "content". But isn't that just a more pleasant state of meaninglessness? If not, then what would the meaning of heaven life then be other than the pleasant eternal zombification? In a way, though pleasant, this actually sounds a little scary.
To me, life is full of meaning, and I pity those who find life meaningless and empty. Life is a neverending discovery and I live for that even though it is not always pleasant. But why should discovery always be pleasant, anyway? And if I were to look for some theoretical meaning beyond life, whatever that might be, it certainly wouldn't be some zombified drugged state. That is escaping life, not embracing it. And if you don't want to embrace life now, why would you want to embrace it forever? To me, looking for meaning "beyond" life is like an eye looking for itself or a hand attempting to grasp itself. It is simply an absurd exercise in escapist and meaningless futility while the true purpose and joys of life slip through your fingers.