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Pessimism

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Posted by Mario Dovalina on October 26, 2002 16:26:32 UTC

What you call pessimism I see more as a rearranging of priorities. All (or at least, well-balanced) humans have a need to extract happiness, satisfaction, and balance from their life. What varies is the source. Theists in general throw their hope in with promise of a life without the miseries of this one, atheists can't bring themselves to mask their doubts under a label of "faith" and instead draw all the happiness out of this existence as possible. And, Harv, there is nothing artificial about it. I am, for the most part, a *very* happy person. It's not desperate happiness or a self told lie, it's genuine. Sure, there are always some pieces missing here and there, but that's true of all people. Your assertation that atheists live a life devoid of meaning is misled. I construct my own meaning, and in my opinion I'm the better for it. Certainly, to each his own, but atheism is only dismal from the outside.

In any case, I stand by my previous statement that a view's prettiness shouldn't be cause enough to desperately grab for it (and I consider those who do to be subconscious cynics.) There is something infinitely liberating in freeing oneself from belief and devoting spiritual thoughts to the realm of speculation instead.

I probably won't get to reply to the rest of your posts until tomorrow evening...

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