Being an atheist shows you that every minute is sacred

[trotsky]

https://quartzy.qz.com/1151677/how-atheism-can-make-you-appreciate-every-moment-of-life/

My father died when I was 21, and I was devastated to realize what he’d miss seeing. He’d never see the bulbs he planted that year bloom into flowers. He’d never see me flourish in my career. He’d never walk me down the aisle at my wedding.

As an atheist, I knew that was it. My father wasn’t looking down upon me from some cushy cloud, with harp music in the background. I could take no comfort in belief in an afterlife, or the notion that life on earth is just a journey towards some spiritual payoff in another dimension. I’m pretty convinced that what we do here and now is all that we get.

...Let’s be honest: Being an atheist can sometimes be exhausting. It’s not so much defending my stance against those who practice a faith. It’s the pressure and exhaustion of trying to achieve everything you can before you shuffle off this mortal coil.

But atheism has infused my life with the mantra that every moment counts, so don’t waste it. That attitude has opened doors, and the happiest moments of my life would likely never have materialized if I didn’t have such a “carpe diem” attitude.