What is the point of living a godless existence?

Specifically, what is the point of an existence in which one does not believe in any divine laws or spiritual entities that give them a purpose for living? Furthermore, what is the reason for one to live if there is no God and no afterlife?

I'd like to explore this question deeper, as I am an atheist and sometimes find myself confused as to why I keep going despite the fact that I find life has no inherent meaning. If the world has no meaning, does that mean morals are pointless? If the world has no meaning, does that mean, upon realization of such, people would fall into chaos?

Is the realization of meaninglessness enough to make someone go mad? Certainly, it is a pretty big reason why people commit suicide, there's no doubting that. And I'd say that, yes, the acknowledgment of godlessness is, for some, that tipping point. Is that feeling of religious security enough to keep people "okay enough" to keep going? That sounds incredibly superficial to me.

I don't think that there is any reason for anyone to be ashamed of their beliefs in god(s). I have never really been religious per se, it hasn't stopped me from nihilistic viewpoints in my life. Especially when I was younger, I would constantly fall into the "What's the point if we're all going to die anyways?" Line of thinking. I know what the effect of godlessness has had on me, so of course others would experience similar things.

And now, there were plenty of times in which I had attempted to commit suicide. Perhaps a belief in Christ would have prevented this. I was always told that suicide was a sin, but that didn't bother me as I didn't worry about being a sinner. If god wasn't real, and I would become nothing better than worm food, why did it matter? I wanted to end my emotional pain, and for that, I sought out extreme measures. Now, there still is a floating desire that rears its ugly head for me to fall asleep and never wake up again. Maybe, to be alive but never fully present. That's what being clinically depressed does to you. It makes you want to end your suffering in ways that man can't truly comprehend.

But I think now that I don't truly want to die. I don't know what more search for meaning in this world I'm meant to do, or if that search is even necessary. I want to say that I've accepted that there is no inherent meaning, but then what is left is there? Do I mope away, feeling sorry for myself? I think that would be pointless. Do I kill myself? No, because then I wouldn't be alive, I want to be alive. I think that I want to fight. I think that the thing that drives me to keep going is a burning fire inside of me.

Why would I kill myself when there's so much suffering in the world? I may not be able to do much about it on my own. I'm only one man. But I want to fight. I want to fucking fight. I want to feel all of the emotions and the turmoils that life had to throw at me, but I want to do it smiling. I almost feel tired of the people who cling to thing world with their false sense of immortality.

For example, the rich man. He cannot truly die because he is his wealth. The religious man. He cannot truly die because his soul will continue to live among the stars. The working man. He cannot truly die because he is his work. I don't think I want people to realize how unrealistic these things are to hold onto. Maybe the rich man, but do I want a religious person to give up on their religion to truly realize the reality of this world? No, I don't think I do. I think that would be cruel. Maybe being deluded in a way is really what keeps people from going mad. Hell, I've probably gone mad myself, although I would hope that I've stabilized if that makes any sense.
Well, I've read Thomas Negal's essay, "The Absurd", which I find that I agree with a lot. He states essentially that " human life is inherently absurd because all human beings live their lives with seriousness despite inevitable doubts that any of our actions matter."

Now, I love the philosophical theory of the absurd. It was initially coined by Albert Camus, and it is one of the reasons I used to push myself to go vegan. The philosophical ideology of the absurd is a concept that essentially just examines the contradictions and incongruities of the human experience. It states that humans require order and meaning in their lives, and yet we live in a chaotic world. This creates a tension between our need for meaning and the innate meaninglessness of the universe. Due to this, humans are faced with a few choices. The first of which, as I briefly touched on is to turn to religion.

Religion is a comforting thing in the short term, however, I do wonder if it leads to a sense of disillusionment with the world.

The next option is suicide, to completely reject the absurd and thus life itself. This one I also went over and am not particularly fond of due to my struggles with suicidal idealization.

Lastly, there is the acceptance in the face of the absurd. To accept the meaninglessness of life, and continue to live anyway. I find this one to be the most freeing. There is something so free about realizing that in the end, none of this matters, and that's totally okay. If none of this matters, then that should be the reason we live to the fullest. To spit in the face of life itself is the ultimate act of rebellion and I think that's badass.

"One may try to escape the position by seeking broader ultimate concerns, from which it is impossible to step back-the idea being that absurdity results because what we take seriously is something small and insignificant and individual. Those seeking to supply their lives with meaning usually envision a role or function in something larger than themselves. They therefore seek fulfillment in service to society, the state, the revolution, the progress of history, the advance of science, or religion and the glory of God." -Thomas Nagel