Quote:
Originally Posted by MageB420666
well, much of society (at least as much as I've experienced of it as what I hope is an average "American" as the popular term goes) is based upon the idea that if you don't do what is "right", you will be punished for all eternity afterwards.
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MAN is that not my experience of average American society!
Look: I don't believe in an afterlife either. I believe that when I die, my consciousness will go "poof". And I do a LOT of work to make the world a better place.
I'm not motivated by an eternal reward. I don't intend to have children, so it's not some legacy I'm out to leave. I'm motivated by things like how it feels for me NOW to make a difference in the world.
I think back to my grandfather's funeral, which absolutely PACKED the Episcopal Cathedral in our city. I want to have a standing-room-only funeral, I want to be somebody who had that kind of impact in people's lives. I'm clear I won't be around to see that, but I want it anyway.