What is the effect of Albert Einstein on you after you are dead assuming no afterlife?

I am speaking from the perspective that we are both assuming things which we do not and cannot know. I can only assume then that I personally do not know what effects I or my actions might have on my afterlife. The outcome imo is pointless, since there are no known ways for me to detect whether my current actions are having any effect whatsoever. Simply put, I have nothing to go on.

after i die, i live in the memories of those who loved me, and in the legacy of what i have accomplished. to assure that i have a positive "afterlife", i better make sure that i am kind to others, work hard, and give my children all possible opportunities.

if that is having "no point in living" according to theists, then so be it.

CanadaLowball,

If you extend it for a few more generations, would it still be true? Do you have any memories of your great great great grandmother for example? What if you extend that for 2 billion yrs? A meteor strikes the earth and then humans are wiped out?

if a meteor strikes and wipes out humanity, then thats it.

as for future generations, they inherit my genetics as well as any writings, photos and gifts that i leave for them. we live now in a time when we can keep much more beautiful and vivid records of our times and lives for our descendants to study and learn from.

You're still not looking at really long term. If we're still around in 2 million years, would your photos, writings, gifts survive? If they do, would anyone take the time to look at them?

In the end, 99.9% of all species that ever existed went extinct and we'll too some day. So, this argument that our memories and genes will live on is meaningless.

what importance do you think i place in having my legacy carry on for all eternity? what makes you think you deserve to have yours do so?

I'm an agnostic atheist. I'm just pointing out how short sighted your earlier post about legacy, memories, genes is.

I don't place any importance in legacy. The meaning I derive is from doing things I love and being with people I love.

You cannot know the effect of your actions are on your afterlife, I agree. That is not the same as no effect. That outcome is not pointless, it is just unknown at present. Assuming there is an afterlife, you will know the point at some time in the future. Assuming no afterlife, there is no point at some time in the future.

of course i am the same way. i was just giving my version of what i consider a worthy afterlife. the only way to achieve the legacy i speak of is to live as you say, do what i love with people that i love.

You are taking one statement and concluding things that aren't there. I understand the tactic however it does not progress the discussion to draw conclusions from things that don't exist. You said god is meaningless if there is no afterlife. I am saying that we are meaningless regardless if god exists or doesn't exist if there is no afterlife. I hope that is clear. You will understand it if you don't draw any conclusions or make any assumptions that aren't in that statement.

Gl with your worship of the afterlife.

I guess this is the kind of debate I can expect from someone like you. I've said nothing of the sort. Apparently you want to disregard the simple fact that if the end result of our lives is to live 70 years in a brutal world then cease to exist. That there is no meaning to any of it. Assuming the earth will end. Which we know it will. Then that means on a long enough of a time line everyone will die and there will be no existence of any of us. If there is no existence of us then there is no point in the end. Your life may have meaning to you now, but according to your belief you will cease to exist rendering any meaning you could have possibly have useless, worthless, pointless, etc I think its clear and you don't want to agree because the truth hurts. However if it is true that atheists don't believe in god because they want the truth. Then why can't they accept under the structure of atheism that there is no point to their existence beyond 70 short years.

i'm sorry that the only meaning you find from life is some twisted, unlikely promise of another life after it.

My meaning for my current situation now and my time on this earth isn't related to the afterlife. Surely not entirely. Of course there will be some influence. However any influence is a positive one. The only difference between the life of a believer and that of an atheist is ones life has hope. There is no hope in living 70 years then ceasing to exist. I will say however from an empathetic viewpoint for atheists is that the only hope they have for their afterlife(if there is one) is that there is some god that gives everyone eternal life regardless of their faith on earth. That's about the only hope you guys have.

I think thats of the sort. But ok.

Either way my main point is your not just talking to atheists here since some theists think life is temporary. You need to change it a little to kick them out or else you just said their God is pointless and meaningless.
I agree. When you add things to point like, in the end or ultimately. There might be no point.

I got over that the universe might have no point a long time ago. Pointless in the end is fine. Pointless now isn't because i have all kinds of points.

I dont believe in God because i have no knowledge of a God.

Dont know you will have to ask them.

I see what you mean now.

Have you ever been in a really deep comatose sleep state and your heart barely beating from an overdose of Xanox? Yeah, that's what I imagine death is like, except the beautiful dreams and heart beating. Bummer. Maybe I should hire someone to inject my dead body with Xanox. I wonder if that would pump me with dreams.

I'm definitely in the camp where if you are someone that is desperate for an afterlife. Make lots of money, put yourself on ice, a la John Wayne and wait for medicine to catch up and make you immortal. But you still might not make it, due to billions of dollars keeping you alive translating into pennies in an unimaginably wealthier economy hundreds/thousands of years from now. The Egyptian Pharoahs tried a method like this to some degree, didn't seem to work out.

there is 1 way to experience the afterlife while alive or at least one hell of a good argument for it. but I can't tell you what it is. it's easy to figure out once you try.

^ nah that **** didn't work

heaven, hell , afterlife make no freaking sense...

The move between "your life will no longer have a point to you" to "your life will have had no point" is definitely making some contested assumptions.

But I would also note something else. Let's suppose life is pointless. So what? If your life is pointless, it's pointless. I don't see why that causes such great trauma to some people. We still get to live, pointless or not.

Assuming there was no potential "out" from eternal nothingness, then sure I would take the atheist view. I however have reason to believe there is an afterlife, there is an eternal consciousness available. Regardless of whether I'm right or not, doesn't matter either way based on the options. If monotheism is wrong then we all get the same result. If it is right then clearly there is something to gain for believing. I will add however that my faith on god isn't based on an afterlife, more so on the fact that I believe he is real and afterlife is just an added bonus to that belief.

After death will be exactly like before you were born.

What a treat.