End Of Life

Suffering

Do People Need Religion?

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, December 14 2022

Religion is a difficult subject because of how it is tied to deeply held beliefs of the individual. Additionally, most people who analyze it are either making a case one way or another or are providing some sort of critique. (Note: I found this out the hard way for when I wrote that God was a great source of belief when someone doesn’t believe in...

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Meaning

And Then What?

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, August 3 2022

When talking about the meaning of life, you always have to start by defining your terms.  Why?  Because people almost always equivocate when you don’t.  You can look up the definition of life in the dictionary, for example, and no one will claim that that’s what they meant.  In addition to the literal definition of life, other meanings of “the mean...

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Suffering

Life Sucks, and Then You Die (Not)

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 23 2022

When you’re feeling cynical, miserable, or pessimistic, you are likely to say words to this effect: “Life sucks, and then you die.”  What causes this?  Well, all life situations are a result of nature and nurture: so some of your life outlook is built in your genetics, and some of it comes as a result of your life experiences.

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The Meaning of Life

The Implications of Not Knowing What Happens When You Die

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, April 14 2021

What happens when we die?  No one can know in a scientifically provable way because science cannot study anything outside the physical universe.  However, have you ever pondered the options and how they might all lead you to the same conclusion—rendering the answer irrelevant?  Let's take a look.

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Meaning

How Death Affects Meaning

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, March 11 2020

Many people will ponder death and immediately wonder why we're born at all if we just are going to die. The truth is, that's a tempting but incorrect way to look at life: we are born to live, not to die. I get it—the idea that we're just going to die and it's all pointless seems profound when you first think it.  It seems like you've just seen that...

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Meaning

Why There's No Grand Meaning Revealed at the End of Life

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 19 2020

A lot of people wonder why purpose doesn't culminate or present a "grand reveal" at the end of life. Why, they might ask, does the end of life seem anti-climactic and devoid of meaning? Well, the answer is—other than the fact that life doesn't work like a movie—pretty straightforward. The meaning of life is to grow, and so when your life is ending,...

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