I said "what's so tough about living in the here and now", by which I mean, why struggle with issues that are unlikely to be resolved. I don't see the angst inherent in the issue. I remember Neo told me that if he believed there was no God and no eternity, then it would all be one black screaming void. I guess that's what I don't understand. It seems to me that purpose is alive and well in the moment, and I don't get the need for resolution some people seem to have. It's quite possible it's just something you are born with, but it's what I'm curious about, since people never seem to be able to communicate WHY they feel the way they do about it. I'm not sure why anything changes if things are eternal or finite. I can't see how I would act any differently. You say it changes your view of life, but I'm not sure why it needs to.
It seems to me that there are people who are generous of spirit coming from all different belief systems- and they are as likely to be athesits, as to be believers. And on the other side of the spectrum there are very small people- people who would actually harm others for very little reason, and people who would institutionalize such harm, and again, they seem to come from all belief systems. Nobility is one of those things like beauty, which seems to be culturally sensitive, and in many cases highly personal. There are people who find suicide bombers very noble (and those folks have most certainly bought in to the concept of eternity, and think they are extending their individual purpose beyond the material).
When the physical body ceases to matter, and can be used as a weapon, or where the eternal becomes more important than the physical suffering of the people right in front of you in the here and now, you can justify some pretty horrendous things. |
