simra.net Doing stuff since 1973

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_handler/20070919.html

In an otherwise unremarkable article about Deepak Chopra's new book (all about the 'afterlife', yo), Richard Handler drops this line:

So imagine the terror of the unbeliever who thinks extinction is his future.

... ?? Well, I'd imagine it's not so different from the reptilian response we all (believers and non-believers alike) have when our lives are threatened. Otherwise, I must ask, what's the big deal? Speaking as an unbeliever who's played both sides of the fence, the so-called threat of extinction gives me a strong motivator to be happy, to do my best to add happiness to the lives of others, and to reproduce, of course. I don't have a big problem with the idea that once the lights are out, they're out- on the contrary, the fact gives me something to weigh my decisions against and gives me a strong sense that I ought to make the most of my life because it's the only one I've got. Terror, indeed.