[benlivengood]

To put a fine point on it, the problem is not that life is meaningless but that it has significant meaning and value and also death exists. Death is the antithesis of most human values and we're so far powerless to deflect it on a long-term basis, while religion gave hope or belief of circumventing or ameliorating death.

I scoff at all of the "accept it as part of the natural order" rationalizations; death is the enemy and my goal is to push it as far toward the heat death as possible. That final end will be a defeat, but much less of a tragedy than the ~120 years we get now. If meaning and memory can exist for 10^100 years instead then that's a prize worth fighting for.

I think all the proof anyone needs of this is the joy of children; death is unlikely and far from them and so they have nearly boundless ability to enjoy life and its meaning.

[themacguffinman]

Pretty sure the "fine point" on it is just your personal spin on the matter. The people who believe life is meaningless frequently demonstrate the sincerity of their beliefs by killing themselves early. A common adjacent belief is anti-natalism, the belief that their own parents and most other people should not have children because it's morally a net negative to introduce new agents of suffering. Nothing about "the joy of children" is as universal as you present it as.