“Today is the first day of the rest of your existential crisis.”
— John McGill
Do I matter? Why am I obsessed with this? In an ongoing quest for spirituality, I continually return to the same question. Would it be a serious search if I didn’t ponder the meaninglessness of life?
Hmm…Perhaps I’m in an existential crisis.
Existential Crisis
A deep, obsessive concern with unanswered questions about the meaning of life and existence, resulting in the disruption of one’s daily life and characterized by long or short-lasting bouts of apathy and depression.“Dude, what’s up with Steve?”
“He’s been reading a lot of Nietzsche and watching How the Universe Works on the Discovery Channel, now he’s having an existential crisis.”
Realizing the sun doesn’t rise and/or set around me, I’m not sure where I fit in? I am an eeny-teeny-itsy-witsy-bitsy blip on the radar. But does that make me completely insignificant? Blips have feelings too.
attempting to fly out of an existential crisis
why does it matter if I matter?
The real question is, do I matter to me? If in the end there is only self, It should not make one bit of difference whether I am important to anyone else.
The existential self really makes sense to me. Through self awareness, we are able to make choices that affect our lives. Having a strong internal locus of control, I am not a victim of circumstance but a player in my own life.
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
Anxiety is unavoidable. It comes from fear of life, death, choices, isolation etc. Should I embrace uncertainty instead and simply accept its existence? Perhaps it is after anxiety is acknowledged, I can move past it.
an authentic lifestyle
If I can’t be me, I don’t want to be anybody. In an attempt to live up to others expectations, my authentic self is smothered.
Life choices are mine. If I am living and loving authentically, there is no self abandonment, which is what brought me to this search for spirituality in the first place.
hear me
I have an intense desire to be heard. Is this due to an existential malaise or because I want to make a difference somewhere? (or is it the same thing?) Is there something I should be saying?
Oy! I almost forgot about the authentic self for a moment. Old habits die hard.
An acquaintance related this blog to a form of prayer in that I find writing cathartic. I wonder if it is a way for me to fill a spiritual void?
So far, this exploration into the depths of spirituality has given me more questions than answers. Will I ever uncover life’s meaning? I like thinking that it is up to me to determine my own significance.
Have you ever encountered an existential crisis? Share your thoughts and stories.
Related articles
- Why I’ve stopped writing: An Existential Crisis (bakingbutterhappiness.wordpress.com)
- Liddell’s Guide to Existential Crises (teacuptapirs.wordpress.com)
- Existential Crisis and the Disappearance of Truth (spokennature.wordpress.com)
- Mid Life Crisis Versus Existential Crisis (midlifeexistentialcrisis.wordpress.com)
- Jean Paul Sartre’s ‘Existentialism is a Humanism’: A Critical Reading (luchte.wordpress.com)
- An Existential Crisis (chewingmyfruit.wordpress.com)
