I loathe the thought of a monotonous life. It scares me to think about the repetitive loop that we find ourselves stuck in. When I think about the last 17 years of my life, I see a variety of experiences. I see my first day of school, my first kiss, the fights I had with my best friend, the tests I passed and the tests I failed. They're all colorful memories, full of life and excitement. The frightening part is that all of these moments will be repeated. I will have another first day of school, I will have more first kisses, I will fight with my friends indefinitely. To this day I wonder if this cycle will eventually cause these experiences to lose their significance. I ponder whether or not the future I have in front of me will be as momentous as my youth.
I recently found an old journal that I wrote in sporadically throughout my freshman and sophomore year of high school. There were entries about everything: my first high school party, the days I would wake up early to go take pictures of the sunrise, the time the boy I liked talked to me. They were all silly and innocent, but extremely impactful moments in my life. One passage stood out in particular. It was in the form of a letter to my future self. I reminded myself to continue seeking adventure, to appreciate the little things in life, and to never forget my dreams. I still worry that I will one day forget these things. I see how easy people get wrapped up in the routine of adulthood. They try their hardest to make the best life for themselves, but forget to truly enjoy their lives. They worry about money instead of adventure. They appreciate only the big moments, and disregard the small things. They sacrifice their dreams to meet what society expects from them. This was what I was warning against when I wrote that entry, and I hope that I can hold onto that warning in the next stage of my life.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Existence Precedes Essence
Jean Paul Sartre developed the philosophical idea that our existence, our being, precedes our essence, or our meaning. Every human being alive begins by simply existing, but it is through our actions that we truly define ourselves.
The Universe is constantly acting on us. Every moment, we are being pushed and pulled by thousands of outside forces. For many of us, it is easy to simply let the world carry us through life in a mindless trance. We wake up, eat, work, sleep, and repeat. We never cease existing, but are we living? The moment that we begin to think and act for ourselves is the moment that we bring about our true essence.
In regards to "The Stranger," Mersault is a prime example of a person living without essence. He allows the Universe to act on him, but never takes these actions into ownership. From the outside looking in, it seems as though Mersault is living a typical, satisfying life. He works, he grieves, he befriends, he marries. But the inner-monologue that the novel gives us access to tells a very different story. There is detachment in every word. He works because he needs to sustain a job to support himself. He grieves because that is what is expected of someone who has just lost their mother. He befriends because others befriend him. He marries simply because a woman asks him to. He exists because existence was granted to him.
However, things take a drastic turn at the novel's midpoint. In the midst of a climactic fight, Mersualt is given a choice: to die or to kill. For the first time, he takes his life into his own hands and makes a choice that veers away from the simple routine and threatens to drag him into the thing he has so long avoided: essence.
The Universe is constantly acting on us. Every moment, we are being pushed and pulled by thousands of outside forces. For many of us, it is easy to simply let the world carry us through life in a mindless trance. We wake up, eat, work, sleep, and repeat. We never cease existing, but are we living? The moment that we begin to think and act for ourselves is the moment that we bring about our true essence.
In regards to "The Stranger," Mersault is a prime example of a person living without essence. He allows the Universe to act on him, but never takes these actions into ownership. From the outside looking in, it seems as though Mersault is living a typical, satisfying life. He works, he grieves, he befriends, he marries. But the inner-monologue that the novel gives us access to tells a very different story. There is detachment in every word. He works because he needs to sustain a job to support himself. He grieves because that is what is expected of someone who has just lost their mother. He befriends because others befriend him. He marries simply because a woman asks him to. He exists because existence was granted to him.
However, things take a drastic turn at the novel's midpoint. In the midst of a climactic fight, Mersualt is given a choice: to die or to kill. For the first time, he takes his life into his own hands and makes a choice that veers away from the simple routine and threatens to drag him into the thing he has so long avoided: essence.
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