[aragornreborn]

You're right. There might not be a point to life. But if that's true, not only is life pointless giving people no reason to live, but also I can do whatever I want because I'm just lightning-struck mud. And that means ANYTHING. And so can everyone else. We're all just mud, it doesn't matter.

As to everyone having their own standards, that's a very nice thought. But who decides what actions affect or don't affect others? Most of our actions do affect others in various ways. And who decides what the common moral-interaction code is? As we've said, man can not agree on anything as far as standards go. Which is why it makes more sense if there is a code beyond man. Then, that only requires one to accept it. Not to think of it for himself or to agree with everyone else (and by the way, there are a lot of sick people out there, so I don't know if you want their input. Then you get into the whole, "well whose opinion do we listen to?"). Also, I know you have good intentions with promoting different standards. Hey, it'll stop a lot of arguing over whose standards are right! But it also starts you down the slippery slope. If you make standards relative from person to person, you eventually get to thieves, murderers, and everyone else. I'm not saying everyone who does have their own set of standards is any of those things, by any means. No no no. Very few are, in fact. But, that is where relative morals can lead to.

Not only is relativism dangerous and confusing, but its also depressing like you said. If you resign yourself to a pointless life, then your life will be pointless. And that doesn't have to happen. You can believe that there is a point and you can try to find the point.

The characters in Middle Earth did not believe that life was pointless. People who believe that don't fight for good and for freedom. They look out for number one. (So, I don't think any of you truly believe life is pointless) If the elves believed life was pointless, they all would have headed off to the undying lands at the first sign of trouble. If men thought life was pointless, they would have just indulged themselves in physical pleasures - living it up while they could. But those are not the characters we find in Lord of the Rings. We find Aragorn - a man exiled and almost mocked, fighting to defend the freedom of Middle Earth and to honor his ancestors. We have Gimli - who unlike many of his fellow dwarves had an interest in the safety of Middle Earth and was willing to be even with an elf to defend his world. And so on. Tolkien's characters did believe in a purpose and a standard.

Phew. Good night. It's late. I apologize for anything that doesn't make sense.

[ May 09, 2003: Message edited by: aragornreborn ]