That’s an interesting take, but fair enough. I’ve always thought of that sort of happiness as just being happiness by analogy or metaphor, but I suppose it makes sense.
I’m non-religious and definitely think my life has a purpose. Not a purpose dictated by a higher being or family or society, but one directed from myself and my abilities. On good days, I imagine looking from the end of my life back on the present and asking if I’m really living or simply passing the time. For now, the purpose of living is not only to do those things necessary for survival but to gain in knowledge, skill, and expressive ability through art, and make sure that I also reap enjoyment from these activities. I’m very lucky to live with my girlfriend and two dogs, all of whom I love very much, and I try to appreciate each day with them without expectations of the future which so often sabotage a person’s happiness.
Who could ask for more?
Thanks for the perspective. I think the reason this wouldn’t work for me is that I’m too analytical in my thinking, in the sense that I see the world primarily through a rational, objective lense and interpret my subjective experience through that. So if I weren’t religious, the lack of objective meaning and import of my life would undermine any subjective meaning my life could have. It’s interesting to me that most people don’t seem to think this way.