Essentially Existential Part I
What is life about?
The universe is too vast for us to understand, yet we tend to think we are the center of it in times of change or crisis. There are trillions and trillions of stars, an immeasurable idea of how big the universe is and how much time has and continues to pass. The average life expectancy is around 90 years old as of 2020, and it doesn’t seem even that long when placed in perspective. If trillions of years had passed before we became aware as a species, why do we feel we are the main characters in the story of existence?
Getting into the philosophy of existence, we have to talk about essentialism. What is essential offers purpose; If we have a purpose, there is reason and justification for our essence. In the questioning of that ideal, a response to our essential views is the existence of our essence. I am referring to is existentialism.
In pop culture, you may have heard the term a midlife crisis or an existential crisis. What that means is individuals begin to question their meaning, purpose, and value. An existential crisis is triggered when people reflect and look within. An introspection about life, and an awareness that human beings have, allows us to reflect. As far as we know, compared to the other living species of the world, we are the only self-aware species. We live in our heads sometimes, rent-free, questioning things larger than life.
A well known French philosopher in existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre stated:
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.”
Trapped within our freedom
We condemn ourselves to freedom, the choices we make, the constant anguish of all the decisions. The concept of existing precedes essence, in which we create our path or “essence” in life through choices in how we live. There has to be an acceptance of absurdity, to accept the concept of existentialism. The absurd is to pursue answers, where there is no answer to be given. It seems superfluous to think in such terms, and troublesome to make sense.
We do not know why things are as they are. There are assumptions, faiths, and hopes that there is a higher purpose, but no concrete evidence to support that theory. Because humans are self-aware, there is an ego that we are preordained with an essential purpose and task, when there is just no justification for those ideas. Because there is no straight forward answer, all our freedoms, and choices become a burden to creating our guideline of life.
Being the architect of our actions, morality, and purpose, we become tasked with how we exist and what our values. The other option in existing is evaluating your code of life and live by that honestly. The authenticity of our self code dictates the decisions we make. While one person may follow the path of becoming a doctor, while another pursues being a dancer is an individual path by our own choices. If outside voices, such as family or peers, push you to become a doctor, you are not living an authentic life. You are placing faith in external options to validate your essence. That is an example of refusing to accept the absurdity concept that there may be no answers in what you want to pursue. The next question is questioning yourself and purpose.
Society
One of the most substantial push backs in honestly living is financial support or financial burden. Specific “jobs” in society carry a larger purpose than others. If we compare a doctor to a dancer, broadly speaking, many would assume being a doctor is more stable and lucrative, thus the most rational choice of pursuit. Dancers, however, would be the counter of stability and would financially be irrational to pursue. Perception of society’s weight on specific jobs decides their value, challenging individuals who would live authentically instead of being a dancer. So why are there so many people who want to be creative, an artist, or a dancer? It doesn’t make sense to pursue something that is devalued compared to other roles?
A surge of renaissance appears to be on the horizon. Generations of watching people lie quietly to themselves about having a purpose, continue to work to have financial support unhappily. There is more emphasis on learning to be content or happy instead of consuming unnecessary things. The consumption, which requires money, becomes more unattractive as people witness the truth, money does not purchase happiness. Once they neglect the pursuit of money, the chains break. We are free to consider the absurd then, the answerless question. I want to dance.
