Avy told me today that existentialism is gone,' that was long back' he said. how, i thought ,can a philosophy be a thing of the past? How can he say that a philosophy, one that has frayed the white collars of a believer, that has made a bilious protest rise against its very core, a belief that could free man from the yoke of idolising and worshipping an Ahura Mazda or a Shiva, lying prostrate at the feet of a stone carving or statue ,empty except in its symbolism,a way of thinking that could cease mans efforts to believe in a another being intangible and abstract, how can such a thing be done with ?
Something that can explain so very simply all the meandering questions of every man about life and the eternal quest for meaning , that can say that the fundamental absurdity of life is that there is no meaning , no truth ,no reason ,a thing that can make a man believe in nothing and live for life's sake and not for a higher goal ,a thing that if followed may not end up as the overwhelmimg expectation of the masses , but may be one of the most free ,in the true sense of the word, most FREE and fulfilling ways of living.
Fuelled by the illogicities and doused by the miracles ,it exists in every lonely,depressing, self doubting feeling man has ever felt and has risen due to that question that every man asks more than once in the period of his lifetime , if not all the time -
What is the purpose of life?my life?
Existentialism answers back...
NOTHING .
1 comment:
Existentialism - the problem is that no one really seeks to go deeper into the matter. What you write about is not existentialism; instead you experience angst and confuse such feelings with the understanding of a philosophy. Angst awakens you to the possibility of existential doctrine.
There is no single position within the existentialist sphere; there are many depending on the philosopher who makes his arguments. How many of them are you familiar with?
I suggest you begin Blaise Pascal. read the Pensees, a favorite book of mine.
Then move on to Soren Kierkegaard (another favourite of mine especially his book "Fear and Trembling"!).
Pascal, if I remember right, is also one of the "fathers" of the notion of computing!
PASCAL'S WAGER:
Either God exists or He does not
Either I believe in God or I do not
Result could be:
infinite gain
infinite loss
finite gain
finite loss
Well, that is something to begin thinking about.
But it was Kierkegaard who first stressed the ambiguity and absurdity of the human situation.
"The individual's response to this situation must be to live a totally committed life, and this commitment can only be understood by the individual who has made it. The individual therefore must always be prepared to defy the norms of society for the sake of the higher authority of a personally valid way of life. Kierkegaard ultimately advocated a “leap of faith” into a Christian way of life, which, although incomprehensible and full of risk, was the only commitment he believed could save the individual from despair."
Of course, for the "intellectual", Kierkegaard's solution will be inadequate. But whoever has the courage to take a "leap of faith" will be able to understand Kierkegaard's position! Perhaps.
Ciao!
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