Not necessarily. There is no rule of thumb for everybody. Many believers are initially motivated by a fear of Hell and a desire for Heaven knowing that we choose our own destiny. Eventually one matures beyond this initial disposition as he grows in the love of God, who is Love itself, and because it is Him who first loved us.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And one who is in love with the Lord will fear to offend Him because it would be an offense against one who is infinite goodness, and it is Him whom the soul loves most, i.e. loves more than anything in this present life.
You just explained what is very radical difference, and then dismissed it as merely short-term versus long term thinking.
The one is only concerned for his earthly life as the end all, while the Christian is concerned more for eternal life, knowing this life is only a test of his love for God. No one in this life can be completely happy. True happiness is found only in complete union with God. Hence, the person who thinks of only the present life does not perceive the deeper realities of existence. He is blind to the mysteries of his own life.
Socrates’ dictum, in short, was “Know Thyself”. Your short-sighted atheist does not know himself. Socrates taught about virtue and deiformity, becoming like God, so as to prepare the soul for the afterlife.
The atheist prepares for nothing substantial or lasting. He views his life, whether consciously or not, as mere dust in the wind. He is, in the final analysis, radically distantiated from reality.
