To live towards a future life, an after-life: to orientate our mortal lives in the expectation of immortality in Heaven - is this good, or just pathetic?
It is, in the West, is mainstream and normal for powerful, wealthy, high status, vigorous people to regard future-life orientation as dumb, crazy, dishonest, manipulative - but even at best it is pathetic, a behaviour which moves a compassionate Man to pity.
The idea is that only someone who is Fundamentally A Loser ("retarded") in this world would have a Heavenly orientation.
Yet the mainstream, normal attitude of living for this mortal Life is equally pathetic, pitiable, in that among those who regard-themselves as Winners, Life is seen optimistically.
"This Lifers" believe that good times are just around the corner, seeds of improvement are sprouting, the pendulum is about to swing in the desired direction... that History is on the side of Progress.
"This Lifers" may look at the sad fate, and desperate situations, of so many people around them; yet optimistically (as a matter of faith) believe that they-themselves will somehow be exempt from such a pathetic life.
Is there anything sadder, more ignorant and insane - or more deviously manipulative - than constantly to be harping on a better future in this mortal life; and absolutely to need to believe in such improvement?
If both can be seen as pathetic, according to perspective; who is the most pathetic: a this-Lifer or the next-Lifer?
The answer (like all answers) depends on fundamental assumptions.
If we assume that resurrected eternal Life in Heaven is real and possible - and from this perspective look back on human history and the experience of our own lives; then mainstream ideological optimism is just ridiculous, and to live by optimism for this-life and this-world is truly the most pitiable state.
If instead we assume with materialistic-atheism, that this this world is the only world; that mortal Life - between conception and death - is everything; that Heaven is false, a day-dream or a manipulative lie... Well then; to believe in Heaven, and live for Heaven, is indeed pathetic: foolish or childish at best.
Because (such people still argue) by living in light of a false Heaven, we will presumably fail to make the best (or at least make-the-most) of this mortal life; and also by focusing on a fake afterlife we will fail to focus on improving the real world around us...
Consequently; to live for Heaven is not merely regarded as the pathetic belief of a pathetic loser; but actually a belief that will materially-harm other people, and tend to sabotage the optimistic hope of a better life for me, and a better this-world for everyone*.
The Heaven believer is then worse than pathetic: subversive, a saboteur, a public menace.
*(Or, if future life is not better for everyone, then better for everyone that matters to me.)
Yet materialistic atheism has zero basis for judging value objectively, interpersonally!
So for mainstream modernity truth is ultimately no better than delusions, happiness no worse than suffering, success and failure are subjective distinctions without meaning.
Subjectivity is all that is left; and personal preferences and emotions are transient, and externally influenced - hence ultimately meaningless.
And the terrible history of the twentieth century worldwide, and the ongoing artistic/ scientific/ cultural/ spiritual collapse of the West; demonstrates that a this-life atheist-materialist perspective actually does not lead people to focus on make the best and most of their mortal life and of human society.
What, then, can be more arbitrary than the "confident" assertion that this mortal Life is all-there-is, and anyone who believes otherwise is pathetic?
Mainstream modern materialistic atheism is a choice; and a choice that, rigorously pursued is itself a recipe for frenzied and psychopathic hedonism in the short term, and for despair and suicide in the long term.
...As we see especially evident among the more powerful, wealthy, high status, vigorous people of the West - here-and-now.
And if They think that We are pathetic compared with Them?
Well, I for one don't care what They think - except to avoid it!
4 comments:
Live for the eternally good now, whether heaven awaits or not, and live for it in heaven when death comes.
If there were no hope of heaven, none of my goals or values would change, because even still would it be true, that: Every deed is eternal. It would still forever be true, and valuable, that I did, created, and offered what I did, and the same things would be good then as well as now.
Vileness does not inescapably and logically follow from earthly death being final, because love for beauty needs no justification or further motivation. It is perfectly sufficient by itself
@Hagel - what you are stating is bare assertion and subjectivity: arbitrary and metaphysically not coherent.
That you value going to heaven is bare subjectivity, and it must be by necessity, because love can only exist when freely given and accepted by subjects.
Any motivation or justification eventually comes down to something subjective, which does not devalue it - quite the contrary, as love illustrates
@Hagel - You are conflating the need for each personal to make fundamental assumptions before reasoning - with the notion that doing so is necessarily merely an arbitrary subjective opinion.
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