On the one hand, this will be broadly the same for everyone, and atheists will differ from theists only in the absence of religion from their lives.
not my question, but thank you.
But on the other hand, the details of what makes for happiness and fulfillment can differ significantly between individuals, and part of the wisdom that comes from age is learning to understand oneself well enough to know what will or will not lead to personal well-being.
This is what I was referring to the other day... You're trying to encapsulate a much broader range of things than I'm interested in.
in doing my physics senior project, i wrote something that apparently bordered on a PhD paper. I handed it to the department chair and he said, while this is indeed a very good paper, i asked you for a senior paper, not a PhD. I was stunned (& disheartened), and it showed on my face. He then pointed to the really tall and wide brick wall behind him and said- you gave me the entire wall. I don't want the wall. I just want one brick.
so, go back and write a paper that's a single brick. I subsequently found it's a whole lot harder than I realized.
So, in like manner... dial it back.
This has absolutely nothing to do with the general scope of human happiness and human meaningfulness.
This is about YOU. what makes YOU happy? What gives YOU a meaningful life?
And I'd like to see the same for each and every participant.
Thank you.
For myself, I find happiness in my work, and in learning new things and extending myself in the activities that interest me. I'm lucky enough to have found my way into a great job that is also my primary hobby. I find satisfaction in extending and challenging myself in this area. I also enjoy both learning and teaching, and have been doing both for most of my adult life - and not just academically, but primarily in the area of martial arts. Friends and family are also a core part of a fulfilling life, and that is no different for me. Another part of what makes life meaningful is having goals that extend beyond one's self. For me, that involves volunteer work with children once a month at the local library, and helping organize a local annual event that raises money in support of local charities.
These are the things that make my life meaningful, and they do so with my full knowledge that my time here is finite and that one day it will all come to an end. I can't draw a personal comparison to a religious life, as I have never been a believer. But I can testify that there is no God-shaped hole in my life, and that I am not leading a sin-filled hedonistic lifestyle. Religion/atheism is actually all but a non-existent concern for me anywhere outside of CARM, and I come here not because atheism is important to me, but because I enjoy philosophical discussion with others who hold different beliefs to myself.
I underlined an emboldened the YOU parts.
This isn't about a general, broad-sweeping/stroke of the whole human experience.
Just YOURS!
I say that because if everyone starts putting out their ideas for the larger set of humanity, this will become an overwhelming, unwieldy, tedious process of reading through all the ideas.
So, if this makes sense, please pass the word along...
PERSONAL PREFERENCES ONLY!
What makes for a happy and meaningful life for YOU PERSONALLY.
Thank you.
