Bad Belief Systems You Must Lose if You Want to WIN - Part 8 FUTILISM
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Futilism believes that life is meaningless, all religious beliefs are fantasies, and moral principles are pointless. Like nihilists, futilists allege that you have no particular purpose for living because life itself is empty, trivial, and spurious. It is literally a dead-end philosophy – life is futile, and death is the end. Your few decades on planet earth are unimportant, and your actions are inconsequential; therefore, it is useless to try anything significant because you are insignificant.
I have three things to say about that: humbug, hogwash, and hokum. The truth is the opposite! You are a special creation of Almighty God; you were born first in the mind of God and second in the womb of your mother. You are a person of high value with tremendous possibilities. So, if you think your life is trivial, if you think your life is futile, you've got another think coming, and the sooner that THINK comes, the better.
Much of futile thinking comes from Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher who wrote a book in 1943 with the world's worst title, Being and Nothingness. "Man is a useless passion," he wrote in his book. I can imagine no social or personal benefits of this joyless worldview.
On the social level, futilism leaves no logical reason for laws against hurting others or taking another's property, or the respect for anyone's personal rights, or even a need for civility. After all, in the end, no matter what good or evil you do, it means nothing. Futilism is a dark view of human existence where doom, gloom, and irrelevance are supposed.
On a personal level, futility is a miserable view of daily life. Why attempt anything of significance? Why conce
yourself about anyone other than yourself. Hope, love, joy, and other life-lifting beliefs are mocked and denied.
Imagine thinking that nothing you do or think or believe makes any difference to you, your neighbor, or your soul either today, next year, or in ete
ity. The idea of utter insignificance is depressing.
But the love of life, a perception of purpose, and an expectation of ete
ity make our few decades on earth both bearable and consequential. To that end, Carol Hall and I recently published a book titled, You're Something Special.
It's all about how exceptional you are—mainly because God specially created you. Humans have inhabited this planet for 10,000 or so years, and there has never been anyone like you. You're special. You're here for a reason.
If you want help cracking the mystery of who you are, why you're here, and where you're going, check out, You're Something Special. For more about the book and a quick link to Amazon.com, visit YoureSomethingSpecial.com.
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About the Author
Dr. Ross is an award-winning, dynamic speaker, experienced radio personality, seminar leader, and author of nine books.
He is an informative and entertaining speaker available for television, radio, podcast, and print interviews. Dr. Ross lives in Loveland, Colorado USA
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