Never! We may be perceived as such because we know we're not going to a happy,
magical place when we die. I don't speak for all atheists, but I harbour a
sense of dread and loathing toward death. This isn't fear; if it was, I
wouldn't drive California freeways every day. This is definitely dread, not to
mention this strange feeling that I've been ripped off.
This universe is billions and billions of years old. Older than that, in fact.
The human mind is not capable of comprehending how large it is or how it
began. And I only get about sixty more years to live. This is less than a
fraction of a second to the universe! I demand to live for another two
hundred years! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be alive, but for chrissakes,
why such a short lifespan? Even a stinking turtle can outlive me!
I dread death in the sense that my conciousness will simply cease to be. I
will never wake up and experience anything again for all eternity. It sounds
kind of simple, but it's very eerie when you lie in bed at night and really
think about it.
So life stops completely. There is no soul to wander, no heavenly afterlife
to enjoy, but on the plus side, no hell to endure, either. I understand why
theists want so badly to believe that there is a heaven. I loathe death. I
resent it. I want to defy it. I have a feeling most atheists or other non
believers don't dwell on how much they hate death. And I don't
either. Instead, we try to live our lives to the fullest. If we've only got
some eighty years to live, we have to cram as many experiences into it as we
possibly can. We love life. At least I know I do. But like Yossarian, I'm going
to live forever or die trying.