Fellow Atheists, how many of you would consider yourself 'happy'?

Question

This so-called insult that we are all unhappy really makes me laugh. (Though, sadly, not in a good way.)
My disbelief in deities really has nothing to do with my level of happiness. The only way that religion even effects my 'happiness level' is when I read, hear or see something about zealots murdering one another (in Iraq for example). Or reading about the history of organized religion and how it has attempted to crush scientific studies, how it has murdered people who were non-believers, how it has suppressed dissent and created a global society, where even today we see the results of religious clashes.
If I have any unhappiness in my life, it does not stem from my rejection of religion, it comes from my disgust with the human race's inability to grow up.

Answer 1

Yep, I'm generally happy.

Answer 2

I am a generally happy person and am much happier than I was when I believed all the religion garbage. Of course I'm not always totally happy. Sometimes bad things happen. But my optimism always resurfaces after a short time. I know that I am in chrage of making my one and only life a success, so I'd better get it right. But I don't have to worry about making some trivial mistake and being thrown into hell for it - there is no hell, and that's definitely a good reason to be happy. Life is very, very good, and I'm not going to waste mine being miserable.

Answer 3

Thank you. You put my own feelings very eloquently there. They think that they're so happy and filled with joy over the "Good News", and have never known anything else (many of them, not all) so they assume that we're a bunch of miserable slobs who can't get out of our own way. Well, you know the old saying - when you point at someone, there's 3 fingers pointing back at you. They assume that we can only be really happy if we buy into the collective delusion they all share. It's funny - you know how all the people who claim to have been abducted by aliens always have the same story, little grey men with big black eyes? People always think it's nuts, right? I'm starting to look at the god pounders in the same way. Particularly the "near-death-I-saw-a-white-light" thing. The god delusion is so prevalent, they think anyone outside their club is nuts and miserable because they don't really know the truth. Bah.

Answer 4

I'd like to think of myself as fairly happy. Certainly not "angry" or "depressed" or "lonely" or "unhappy" as a lot of religious folks would like to think I am.

I'm no more happy or unhappy than any other normal person out there, believer or otherwise. My beliefs or lack thereof rarely have anything to do with my level of happiness or unhappiness. My anger and frustration comes out at believers who think certain stereotypes like this as "truth" and refuse to accept that atheists are people just like them, only without belief that God exists.

I get disgusted with the crap people can do to each other(and I don't have to step very far out my apartment door to see it, either.) for very stupid reasons, be it race, religion, political affiliation, sexual preferences, etc. The way I see it, you name it, people will probably find a reason to fight and kill each other over it.

That's what pisses me off and makes me unhappy, not that I don't have some invisible God in my life. I have no more happiness or unhappiness than anyone else. I'm a human being, I have my happy days and my crappy days. Certain things might tick me off more than others, but I'm not an all around bitter, angry, hateful person.

Answer 5

I think I am basically happy, but of course there are things I would prefer over what I have. However we don't always get everything exactly the way we want it. That is just a fact of life. I believe my happiness will increase as I get older and become more

I know I am happier since I stopped trying to believe the bible. The freedom is amazing. I no longer have to wonder what is wrong with me for not wanting to submit to a man in my home, submit to men in church, and wondering how to make sense of the conflicts between science and religion.

I am certainly very happy to no longer have sexual hangups. lol

Answer 6

My happiness does not hinge on my spirituality. I'm very happy that I have the freedom to reject negative based religions. decades back I would have been considered a social pariah for this, and maybe burned at the stake or good measure.

I would say I'm content in life. Like everyone else I have my ups and downs.

Answer 7

I am quite happy. Been married ten years, have a wonderful daughter, what is there to be unhappy about. The funny thing is I would be a really good Christian (better than most I see) without changing my lifestyle at all. I would just have to start believing fairy tales.

Answer 8

Hmm. Well, I'll put it to you this way... my father died not too long ago, so I'm not exactly happy in that sense.

I am content and happy with my view of life, the universe, and everything, though - more so than I was as a theist.

Leaving Christianity and becoming an atheist has actually helped me deal with my tendency for depression much better, it has shown me that I must enjoy life and not take it for granted, and it has increased my sense of personal responsibility.

Answer 9

Yes, I am.

I rarely am unhappy or depressed. The only time I have, tended to be always involve issues of love. :)

Answer 10

wow, atheists get a thumbs down just for stating they are happy?

i guess the religious really want to imagine atheists are unhappy people... such arrogance.

Answer 11

Yup, I feel happy and other comment that I am happy as well.

In my extended family of cousins etc. it is striking that by far the most miserable person happens to be my sister (and a Pastor's wife).