I see the real problem here, I think. You think that atheism, or just lack of Faith, is enough to make all of life meaningless. However, there is more meaning, and I think this is why religion among western countries is declining, within unbelief.

You could believe that a god conjured up everything. To me that is boring. It says we really don't have choice, and the universe is simple (it is the whim of one mind).

If you reject gods, then you are in a phantasmagoric universe. Time, space, dimension, are like liquid. The conceptions of the finite fight the infinite. The small is confounding and the large is overwhelming. Awe is reflected in the starry backdrop of the heavens. Awe is reflected in the vast subsistence of life. There are no answers. There are no guides. It is in your mind that you grope for understanding. Nothing is given to you, helping you find purpose. You find the purpose of an individual. Taken by reason. At the same time you never let your presumptions take over your rational, and lead you to falseness: you do not claim to know more than you really do.