Subjective Morality

I had a rather interesting discussion with one of my best friends earlier today about the purpose of life. The conversation actually began a few days ago when he sent me an e-mail asking one very short yet difficult question:

If God didn't exist, do you think there'd be any purpose to getting out
of bed in the morning?

My first thought was to ponder if there could be any meaningful purpose within the universe without a supreme-being. Obviously, we all have short and long-term goals that we desperately aim to achieve throughout our lives. The question, however, takes on much more relevance once a more broader question is answered -- in a Godless universe, what ultimately is the point of existence except to merely exist for a short duration within the grand universal time-scale?

I'll take a step back for a moment and presume that this universe was not in any way designed but instead came about by some amazing fluke of nature (this is not what I believe). This being the case, we can now throw away objective morality because no such thing can exist in a Godless universe. As much as atheists believe that you can have morality outside of God, the simple fact is that you can not have true objective morality at all. In a game of survival, what benefits me (or you) is dependent solely upon those resources that surround us. If I were to steal from you and I knew that there would be no ramifications from doing so, it would be to my benefit to steal. An atheist might make the argument that evolution would, very slowly over time, instill a sense of subjective morality and community within individuals. This is an illusion because once the shit hit the fan, it would become a situation where every man (or woman) was for himself (or herself). It sounds cold, frightening and sinister, but that is exactly what a Godless universe would become without objective morality.

I do not consider myself to be religious. I fall somewhere between a deist and a monist. Anyway, what about the original question?

In life, we take those actions which we believe will bring us closer to what I consider to be the ultimate long-term goal -- self-actualization and genuine happiness. There are a lot of theories, proposals and self-help books that claim to be able to bring one to this stage of enlightenment. Unfortunately, it is generally not that simple. Throughout all of our secondary goals in life such as education, earning more income, finding a life companion, reconciling our own internal discrepancies, etc., the most common element that binds all humans is the need to find purpose (through self-actualization) and contentment (through genuine happiness).

I, along with the rest of the greatest philosophers in history, can not prove nor disprove God's existence. It is a matter that rests on the most fundamental principles of faith. Science has brought us far and has given the world many great things such as computers, medical advances and world-wide communication. However, science and all the technology that it has wrought still cannot show us the path to genuine happiness.

What I have learned, though, is that getting up in the morning gives me a chance to experience the world. With every experience, I am shown new ways of thinking. I am provided with a chance to meet others who may think much differently than I, but are still very intelligent and worthy of a good debate.

The question is interesting when compared metaphorically to a much longer time-scale. Getting out of bed may symbolize birth while going to sleep may represent death. Everything that we accomplish in that symbolic one day is a reflection of all the explorations we've embarked upon throughout our life.

In short, nobody gets out of bed simply so that they can eventually slip back into bed to fall asleep. We get out of bed because we know that each day will be slightly different or perhaps greatly different than days already past. We move ourselves with the hope that we will inch closer to solving the impossible. We realize logically that what we ultimately seek may have no clear answer, but the question as it exists within our hearts is filled with a type of beautiful romance.

The heart usually knows things well in advance of the mind. I have ignored my heart in the past only to eventually have my mind "catch up" with the intuition that was already present and correct well before I allowed myself to listen to the answer.

There are several questions that we will carry with us throughout life that have no answers.

Is there really a God?

Does true love really exist?

What is the essence of genuine happiness?

Why is there evil in the world?

To varying degrees, some people may find their own unique answers to the preceding questions. We love another with all our heart with the realization that we could be greatly hurt by them. One can not love another without accepting the risk. That is a part of what makes love so glamorous and adventurous. Without that risk, love would lose much of its luster and excitement.

When we love another, we also employ elements of faith. We realize that by loving another, we are giving a lot of ourselves to them. However, people grow and as they do, their needs and desires change. This is what I speak of when I mention "true love" -- a love invulnerable to that element of change.

Many people are fearful of placing elements of their life in the hands of faith. However, to not place at least some matters of our lives in faith would leave us in a purely logic dominated world where we react in an almost mechanical fashion to the situations and experiences that surround us. Simply put, one of the most quintessential qualities of humanity is rising above a world dominated by cause and effect and asserting free-will within our lives to make both our lives and the world at large a better place to live.

Love / God / Humanity / Experiences / Emotions / Romance / Adventure / Beauty

These are words that should stir the hearts of anyone and make them resolute in their determination to explore the world, both good and bad, and bring some meaning to their hearts from all the experiences and moments they share with others.