Here I will summarize my thoughts on some of the big and popular issues we face in life.
God
I have no religious affiliation, but I do hope there is a God and an afterlife. I can’t scientifically prove there is. I don’t think anyone can. I don’t care if you believe in God, just be respectful of others. I enjoy life and prefer if it goes on after Earth. Being dead sounds so boring and… well, lifeless. I hope God’s not as childish as some claim.
I think some Christians need to chill out on damning everyone to Hell, and I think some Atheists need to chill out with attacking religion as if the whole world would be perfect if religion did not exist.
Meaning of Life
Humans inherently want freedom and happiness. So anything that contributes to these two things for everyone is a good idea, I think. So my meaning of life is to enjoy it and help others do the same. If I can’t help someone, then at the very least let me not get in their way.
Morality
The Golden Rule sums it up well. Think about how you would want to be treated, think about how the other person would want to be treated, and find ways to create a win/win situation.
Philosophy
I’ve studied some philosophy since my early teens. Not the really really deep stuff, but fairly deep. My conclusion: Philosophy leads you to think a lot about pointless crap. Still, it can expand your mind in useful ways. Sometimes I thought I think too much and just needed to turn off my mind.
Abortion
People should practice safe sex and avoid abortions. I feel women should have the right to an abortion if they so choose (especially for cases like rape, which is uncommon), but it is better to just be smart and avoid that moral and physically distressing decision to begin with. Even if you have no moral objection to abortion, it’s not like it’s a fun thing to go through regardless. Just use a condom, swallow a pill, or do both. It’s easy!
Politics
I have no political affiliation. I am not a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or anything else. I think each party has some good ideas and some bad ideas. It depends on the issue.
If you’re curious, I voted for Obama last election. He had a nice logo. I strongly considered Ron Paul but since he practically gave up on winning, I just sent in my vote for who I knew would be the winner anyway. There’s nothing wrong with choosing not to vote. There should be a checkbox for “None of the above.”
Marriage
I like the idea of a monogamous marriage and plan to have one. An increasing number of people my age don’t like the idea of marriage, I’ve noticed. It is common advice to “wait until your 30s before you get married.” This is good advice for many people, but it doesn’t apply to everyone. Some people can become happily married in their 20s, others should wait until their 30s or 40s, and many people should probably never get married at all. It all depends on the person.
True love is more often a decision than just a feeling. Every couple has their rough spots but if both members are willing to communicate and remember that they’re working together to build something for each other and for themselves, then it can be a great gift they share.
Homosexuality
I don’t think most homosexuals “choose” to be gay, just like I didn’t “choose” to be straight. Why do I hold this opinion? I’ve read a lot of research and discussed this issue in a couple of college courses. The scientific consensus is that homosexuality is mostly biological and partially influenced by society.
Health
Being healthy is important. It’s probably more important than time and money combined. If you have all of the time and money in the world, but are stuck to a hospital bed in pain, what good is it? Taking care of our health (in developed countries) is simple enough with our vast resources of fresh foods. It can be easy to slack off though. I sure slack a lot, but I’ve been getting better.
Being Green
Using renewable and cleaner energy is very important and we need to strive towards that. We should all be driving electric cars by now. With that said, I feel many “green” people go way overboard, especially with some of their conspiracy theories, and they just end up looking like silly hippies.
Career
Whether you work for yourself or for someone else, it is important to find a career you genuinely enjoy and make enough money to support your lifestyle. Most of us spend a significant amount of time working and we should be happy and fulfilled while doing it. I know for some this is easier said than done, but it is worth pursuing. Your career (and your life) should be contributing something valuable to the world, even if that means you’re just sweeping a sidewalk so that no one trips.