Agnostic.com

2 2

In response to the believer's question to nonbelievers 'What is the point of life if there is no hereafter?'

“Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably rises and sets, and one day, for each of us, the sun will go down for the last, last time. Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, the only fact we have. It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death--ought to decide, indeed, to earn one's death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life. One is responsible for life: It is the small beacon in that terrifying darkness from which we come and to which we shall return.” —James Baldwin

SnowyOwl 8 Oct 19
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

2 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

0

I admire James Baldwin greatly, by my word! I'm sure the questioner had forgotten their own damned question by the time he finished answering it. I say this fully aware of my own penchant for overly long answers, lol.

My answer would be: Point? There is no point other than to experience life, hopefully in a spirit of passionate curiosity, forging perhaps some gratifying and/or nurturing connections along the way.

0

Ha! For some of us that's not a problem. I'm broke! 😀

Everyone's been broke, the point is that you're still alive. 👍 If you're broke AND dead then you are seriously fucked, not that you would know it.

You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:629039
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.