An Existentialist Approach to Life
On Getting the Life You Want
Hello everyone,
Postanly Weekly is a reader-supported smarter living newsletter. To support my work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for $7 per month or $40 for an entire year. With a modest yearly contribution you’re not only helping keep Postanly Weekly going, you also get free access to Thinking Toolbox (mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox (practical concepts for smarter decisions).
50% off today(get free instant access to Thinking Toolbox(mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox
In partnership with Following Fulfilment.
The last personal growth newsletter you'll ever need to join.
Postanly Weekly reader Tom writes about his personal growth adventures in his short and snappy daily newsletter. He also shares his thoughts on why most self-help advice doesn't help and where to look for the answers instead.
It’s free. Sign up here.
An Existentialist Approach to Life
Novels like Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf and Albert Camus's The Stranger ask life’s big questions. These giants of literature, alongside philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard, Simone de Beauvoir, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, all write on the human condition and the search for meaning.
While existentialism touches on various themes — from the absurdity of life to individual freedom to the meaning of life — it is most associated with the concept of existence. But what does it mean? Well, we all exist first of all; all other elements come together to make our existence meaningful, if we can figure out the elements in order of importance.
An existentialist believes that the individual’s existence is of primary importance; that one must take responsibility for one’s own existence rather than being a passive recipient of circumstances.
It is almost like a lens through which we can interpret our lives and derive meaning from them. In other words, existentialism offers us a lens through which to understand who we are, and how to live as human beings. It’s a philosophy that focuses on one’s search for authenticity.
Jean-Paul Sartre was one of the leading voices in 20th-century philosophy — and the author of dozens of books and hundreds of articles on his favourite subjects: the human condition, existence, and the meaninglessness of life.
Sartre’s lifelong quest for meaning in life led him to explore existentialism. He believed that life is meaningless without other people. Sartre’s words are a call to action to anyone who has ever felt alone or outcasted by others.
The French existentialist inspired millions with insightful analyses of existence. He was known for his radical philosophy, which made people ask questions about life, meaning, and freedom.
The condemnation to be free
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” — Jean-Paul Sartre
People often see existentialism as depressing, but if you take the time to read through some of his short lessons, you’ll see it’s not quite so bad when you look at it from another angle.
Sartre’s philosophy is one of detachment, authenticity, and individualism.“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself,” he said.
His philosophy emphasises existence rather than essence, public instead of private and individual freedom over what is considered normal or natural.
In his novel Being and Nothingness, he writes about our need to exist beyond the constraints of what others expect of us. His existentialist idea resonates with many people because we are constantly under pressure from society to be someone we are not.
In his autobiography Notebooks for Nothing, Sartre explains how his mother used to say: “Live a life you don’t have to remember tomorrow.”
This simple quote helps us see that no one can control our lives other than ourselves. Therefore, if we are unhappy or trapped in an unhealthy situation, it is only because we have chosen to let these things happen.
These words resonate with people who struggle to find meaning in their lives and hope for a better tomorrow for themselves and their loved ones.
“To be is to be seen,” Sartre famously wrote. “To be seen is to be seen through, interpreted, judged [and] criticized.” We all have the freedom to choose how we respond to this reality. The way we choose to engage with existence shapes who we are and what we become.
“You are — your life, and nothing else,” he said.
Sartre’s philosophy can be summarised in the phrase, “existence precedes essence.” He thought it’s impossible to appreciate or even begin to understand essence until you have a solid understanding of existence.
“What do we mean by saying that existence precedes essence? We mean that man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world — and defines himself afterwards. If man as the existentialist sees him is not definable, it is because to begin with he is nothing. He will not be anything until later, and then he will be what he makes of himself,” Sartre said.
Without knowing anything about existence, it’s impossible to know anything about essence. For example, if you’re not conscious, you can’t know that you’re conscious. And if you don’t know that you’re conscious, you can’t appreciate the value of consciousness.
It’s the same with essence and existence. If you don’t know anything about existence, it’s impossible to know anything about essence.
To be human means that your existence is influenced by the world around you, by your surroundings and relationships. Your essence is not solely defined by your biology or what makes you a person. It is also informed by how you see yourself, how others see you, and your choices.
You are more than your brain. You have a mind and a will, and can choose to act in ways that shape the world around you. If you have low self-esteem or self-worth, that perception will have a negative effect on the world around you.
Sartre argued that humans have no intrinsic meaning or value outside of the context of their own existence. He observed that people must take responsibility for their own actions and that the pursuit of personal fulfilment is the only meaningful way to live life. “We are our choices,” he argued.
Sartre believed that humans are fundamentally flawed and that they must accept these flaws to be free. “Existence is an imperfection,” he said. He emphasised the importance of authenticity, freedom and authenticity.
There are no universal truths or concrete answers to life’s most important questions. Your sense of meaning and purpose is your responsibility.
Sartre’s philosophy was a call to invent our meaning and purpose rather than a prescription for how one should live one’s life. “Everything has been figured out, except how to live,” he said. You are free to create your own meaning.
Christopher Morley said, “There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.”
Food for thought
3 Mind-bending Questions by James Hollis That Made Me Question Everything [Medium]
“Why are we here, in service to what, and toward what end? (the cosmological question)”
There’s no single path to purpose. If you’ve ever wondered: what’s the point of it all? Why are we here, on this tiny blue dot, circling a massive burning star through the cosmos? You are not alone. I have. I still do.
Many great thinkers before us pondered the same cosmological question. Maybe there is a grand plan, a divine end we’re all unwittingly playing out. Some people believe in a higher power with a specific purpose for us. Others think we’re evolving into something greater.
Many people find theories to be sources of comfort and meaning, a sense of belonging. But they also raise many existential questions.
On Getting the Life You Want [London Review]
“For Freud, ‘the life you want’ would be something you are by definition unconscious of – you have worked very hard not to know what the life you want is – while the life you claim to want could only be wishful and transgressive. The life you want is a disguised formulation of unconscious desire; the life you want needs to be interpreted – contained by psychoanalytic redescription – before it is pursued. And in describing the life you want you may be merely the ventriloquist’s dummy of your culture. Describing the life we want can sometimes be the most compliant – i.e. defensive – thing we ever do.”
Questions worth asking:
Instead of asking yourself, “What should I do first?”
Try asking, “What should I neglect first?”
Trim, edit, cull. Make space for better performance.
Before any task, ask yourself:
What will happen if I don’t do this?
It’s remarkable how many things can be eliminated from your to-do list.
Qualities that lead to increasing intelligence:
1. The curiosity to experiment and explore.
2. The honesty to observe the world as it is, not as you wish it to be.
3. The humility to kill your favorite ideas when you learn something new.
4. The consistency to repeat this cycle for life.” — James Clear
Work with Postanly. Partner with us here.
Check out Following Fulfilment. Postanly Weekly reader Tom writes about his personal growth adventures in his short and snappy daily newsletter. He also shares his thoughts on why most self-help advice doesn't help and where to look for the answers instead. It’s free. Sign up here.
Thanks for reading!
Until next week,
Thomas
Medium | All Courses | The Write Life | Philosophy For Modern Life
Postanly Weekly is now a reader-supported publication. To support my work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for $7 per month or $40 for an entire year. With a modest yearly contribution you’re not only helping keep Postanly Weekly going, you also get free access to Thinking Toolbox (mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox (practical concepts for smarter decisions).
50% off today (get free instant access to Thinking Toolbox(mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox
It's baking hot in Bulgaria at the moment, so this afternoon I'm finding a shady spot where I can reread and think on, the concepts you've dished up in this this excellent post.