Thank you for your reply, but...

Submitted by Musonius Rufus (United States), Sep 13, 2006 at 17:26

...I don't wonder what's going to happen to Dahmer. I know what's going to happen. Nothing, he's dead. That's what happens to living things. They eventually die. If only people could accept this we could stop wasting time and energy on imaginary concerns and focus on the things that are truly important...and real.

And why don't we accept it? What's with this need to believe we're going to live forever? Is it just fear? When I'm gone I know life with go on. Hopefully my life will have meant something in terms of how my actions effect ed the world in a positive way. But I have no need to believe I must go on forever or "what's it all about?", etc. Whatever's going on here it doesn't require anything more from me than I can deliver during my life here on Earth.

I have great respect for the great religions of history. They have largely been reponsible for the human effort to rise above our ancient, animal nature (with the exception of Islam, of course, which seems to be about regressing as far as possible, worshipping death, and subjugating women). But I think it's past time for us to grow out of our childhood now and stop putting stock in imaginary gods, messiahs, heavens, etc.

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