What am I talking about, you ask?
After all, why would the nehena want to live in Wisconsin? Well, that is irrelevant. The point is that the Nehena has been reincarnated into an old atheist in Wisconsin. I will explain.
First, let's review what we know of the Nehena as of now. Basically, the guy exploded. He says that no matter how wise someone is, he can't understand the world. Low blow to the chachum. He says it doesn't matter who you are or what you do anyway, because we all meet the same fate. We all die. And this is evil. How could it be that G-d is so merciful that He wants everyone to do yeshiva and sometimes G-d is so just that even Tzadikim are punished? The Nehena comes to the conclusion that all there is in the world is chaos, anarchy, and definitely no Mishpat. G-d can't be in control of this world, so He must not be in control of the next world either. After all, if there's all this chaos and anarchy Tachat HaShemesh, then there must be nothing after death.
The Nehena says that the living at least know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They are gone and lost forever. They are not remembered. They are nothing. If there's no afterworld, then it's better to be alive and not have any power than have power and be dead. So, all there is left to do is enjoy. The only purpose of life is to enjoy it. Eat, drink, and be merry because that's all you can do. There is no afterlife--there is nothing after death (no accountability either), so the only conclusion is that the only thing to do is party. There is no point in being religious or wise. The Amal shouldn't try to make a name for himself because he won't be remembered after death and the randomness in the world will plague him anyway (natural disasters will knock down your buildings, you could just drop dead) so just enjoy yourself.
This is some hardcore hedonism. Lovely outlook on life, right? Doesn't it make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
Well, let's go back to my Wisconsin friend. A few weeks ago, a man in Wisconsin sponsored a billboard that says, "Enjoy Life Now. There is NO Afterlife." The man who sponsored this billboard said in a statement that the message is a legacy for his grandchildren. He also promoted the Freedom from Religion Foundation, a nonprofit organization with over 19,000 members that works to educate the public on matters relating to non-theism (no G-d), in which he is a lifetime member. The co-president of the organization said as a response to this man's actions, "One of the greatest disservices of religion is that it misdirects human energies from this world – our only life – to some unprovable, highly improbable imaginary afterlife. We should enjoy life now, but also realize that the only afterlife that ought to concern us is leaving our descendants a secure and pleasant future."
What do you guys think about this? I feel like the Nehena founded this organization. I think that this proves how many people in today's world still think like the nehena. What does this mean for our world? Or for humanity? Or for the Jews? Not sure. I'm open to suggestions, though.
I think that this man is the modern day reincarnation of the Neheneh, with a small but important twist. The Neheneh never mentioned making the world a better place for one's descendants. In fact, I think this idea is not related to his philosophy. He was only concerned about the here and now; his descendants lives were probably not one of his primary concerns. I think that is more closely tied with the Amal's philosophy. He was concerned about making the world a better place for others and ensuring that justice was carried out.
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