My Opinion on Human Existence

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My Opinion on Human Existence

What gives your life meaning? As for me, I believed it was God but not anymore. Some people would hold a different opinion on that issue as some will say God, love, games, money, fiction, among other things. I always believed that God created me with a particular essence, and nobody would fault me for wanting my life to be meaningful. All people crave or even need to have a sense of meaning in their lives. However, how do people understand the purpose of their lives as being meaningful? The vast majority of people devote a tone of energy to find meaning for their lives through religion, community development, fighting for civil liberties, among others. No matter how one does it, my research on humans’ existence gives two options based on existentialists. Many philosophers argue that all of the above aspects can provide one the meaning of their lives, but at the same time, others say that none of them can. My opinion is none of them can.

Two ancient Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, held everything in life that has an essence (Gordon, 1). By essence, they meant that existence of specific core properties vital for something to be given that particular meaning. The absence of such properties in that particular thing would lead to the meaninglessness of that thing. For example, it does not matter if a knife has a metal or wooden handle as long as it has a blade. However, it would be different if it lacked the blade since it will not be called a knife. The knife’s essential property is the blade since the blade predetermines the defining function of a knife. When it comes to life, Plato and Aristotle insisted that humans’ essences existed in them before they came to live, and God preloads humans with their respective identities.

Part of the essence is to be a good human who adheres to their essences. One may be somewhat confident in defining his/her identity, thus standing a great chance of living up to your essence. The most important thing in my previous beliefs is that I was born to become a particular thing. Philosophers term this kind of view as essentialism, and a significant number of people still hold on to it. After reading the literary works of Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre, my belief changed on the essentialist ideas of being imbued with any purpose. Friedrich believed in the ultimate meaningless of life that he called Nihilism. Sartre challenged essentialism by asking, what if humans exist first without any imbued essence (Sartre and Philip 1)?  However, it is upon individual responsibility to figure out their identities. In other words, existentialism holds that existence precedes essence. Humans’ existence happens first; then, they later determine what they will become as they grow older through the way they choose to live. I now believe that human beings do not have any predetermined purpose and no set path to follow.

In my previous beliefs, it was difficult to explain how radical the ideals were back then since, for many decades, people did not have to follow absolute paths, but God did it for them. I am now critical of the notion that God made human beings or the world with a fundamental essence in his mind. I believe in God’s existence, but it is somewhat different when it comes to instilling me, my life, and the cosmos with meaning. It is not what God is all about. I believe humans are born in the universe, which they, their world, and their actions lack any real inherent significance. Human beings’ quest for the meaning of absurdity, but they are abandoned in a meaningless universe. Since there are no teleological facts, humans are not created or exist for any given purpose. If there is no reason for our existence or that of the universe, what is the justification for abiding by such things? Things like cosmic justice, fairness, order, and rules do not even exist, and even they do, its upon humans to put them by themselves.

I believe people are shockingly free, and if their actions lack guidelines, then its upon people to create their moral code and invent morality to live by. One might think to find answers from some authority, but they are fake. One may adhere to a religion, government, etc. but they are people just like you. Those authorities cannot give people their respective life meanings since they do not have any answer; instead, they figured out how by themselves how to live. As such, humans should live authentically. Humans should accept the full weight of their absurd and acknowledge that it’s only them who can determine any meaning regarding their lives. And if one follows a different path rather than that of his/herself, then I presume that person to be having a bad faith. In other words, one refuses to accept the absurd.

To affirm that human essence is predetermined by themselves, Jean-Paul Sartre gives an analogy of a student who was in a dilemma of choosing between to go for a war to help his country or being left behind to stay with her elderly mother. The student consulted his teacher for advice. Perhaps, if he had gone to war, it would have impacted millions of people, but still, he will make a small number of considerable army troops. Also, she risked never seeing her mother again. If the person had stayed with his mother, he would only make an impact on one person. Sartre said that nobody could answer, and his decision will be the only authentic choice (Sartre 1). Reading such arguments, I became an existentialist believer. I now believe that humans are not created with any particular essences, but it is upon them to give their life meaning.

Works Cited

Gordon, Jill. Plato’s erotic world: from cosmic origins to human death. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Sartre, Jean-Paul, and Philip Mairet. Existentialism and humanism. London: Methuen, 1960.

Sartre, Jean-Paul. Existentialism is a Humanism. Yale University Press, 2007.