Religious people (primarily Christians) claim that atheists have nothing to live for because we have no hope. I am going to argue that hope itself is unhealthy for our well-being in the longterm, and detracts from our actual existence. Strap in, this is a long one (but worth the read)....
To first address the claim that atheists have no hope, this is obviously due to our non-belief in heaven, etc. While obviously not all atheists believe there is nothing after death, let's assume for the sake of argument that all atheists believe that there is no conscious existence after life. In which way does this diminish our current existence? Well, it does if we believe there is a possibility of an after-life. If we accept death as it is, as a fact, then it is just a fact like any other, and wouldn't be feared. It would be a fact of life like any other. Religions have created this fear of death within us, and then used that fear as a means of exploitation.
It seems that those that constantly hope things will get better are those that are unable to fully appreciate life as it is. Hoping for a better future is merely fantasising about a better reality, which always diminishes our perception of the current state of things. We can find heaven here on earth if we just stop for a moment and appreciate how good things are (or at the very least accept things as they are).
Things are what they are, what matters is how we perceive them to be. The concept of 'hope' I believe causes psychological distress—unless a person is in an extreme situation (like being tortured)—then hope can be a good distraction. Humans are very intelligent, emotional creatures. Religion has made huge afterlife promises that completely down-play how great the reality of life is. Sadly, how good/bad things are is completely relative to an individual's perceptions of reality. For example, many Christians believe that the roads in heaven are paved with gold. They create this imaginary reality, and then stack it up, side-by-side, with actual-reality. Most people live very modest lifestyles, and many of them fantasize about things being better (what 'hope' essentially is). By doing this, and believing that such hopeful outcomes could happen makes actual reality look depressing (perception of reality is relative).
The grass is always greener on the other side—for people to constantly reinforce ideas of wanting more and more (i.e. hope) will cause them to never fully appreciate what they have. The more deluded and grandiose a person's conception of the future is (or what could be had), the more pessimistically they are forced to perceive their existence.
Some people in developing nations dream of living the american lifestyle, and many Americans dream of living the celebrity lifestyle (incredible wealth, fame, etc.). I notice that many Christians are unsatisfied with life (with themselves, and the world around them)—I believe it is hope that is disallowing them from appreciating the way things are. It is very difficult—dare I say impossible—to fully appreciate life and hope for it to be better at the same time.
I think the concept of hope should be replaced with enjoying the world as it is, and simply aspiring to do our best, while accepting consequences as they pass (the future lies in the imagination). The kind of hope Christians, and people in general, get themselves into I believe strongly detracts from the way they perceive existence.
Still not convinced hope is unhealthy? Well, let's say I was to lose my leg. I believe that after I die—I will go to heaven—where a new leg awaits me. Many people might perceive this as being a good way of viewing it. But is it really? Wouldn't it be better for me to accept not having an leg, instead of wishing I had one (along with believing I will)? Since when is wishing for things we don't have consoling? We need to do away with hope and replace it with acceptance and wisdom. Perhaps this is my (and your) peak of existence. Perhaps this is as good as it gets—wouldn't it be foolish to waste our time hoping things were different? Atheists should argue against hope in this way.
It seems many atheists get caught up in this argument, and it is poor one (that hope is good, and we should all have it). Not having hope does not cause despair—but too much hope can cause despair when actual reality comes into view. Atheists should argue against hope because it detracts from our perception of reality. Constantly hoping for more/better will lead a person to hate the way things actually are, and will cause a distorted view of the way "things should be" (which will cause things like frustration, depression, and anxiety).
The grass is greenest on this side—we should appreciate our own life—the only life we have at the moment. Hope will constantly leave us wanting more and more—the thirst of such thinking can never be quenched—but is an endless source of emotional frustration. To ultimately enjoy life, a person must accept it in its current state (along with the past that lead to it).
While this sounds strange (our society overemphasizes the importance of things like faith and hope), atheists need to live life without hope if we want to fully appreciate our existence. Atheists are gifted in this way, we are free to enjoy life because we are not forced to believe things can/will be better.
Atheists are not forced to believe the grass is greener on the other side.
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