What if there is no predetermined meaning of life? If that is the case: would you feel more free, or would you feel trapped?
Basically, existentialism states that there are no outside forces at hand. In order to avoid existential dread (the dread that comes with the realization that there are no higher powers), many people try to conform to societal expectations and religions.
According to Jean-Paul Sartre’s idea of radical freedom, humans are entirely responsible for defining their lives. Complete freedom goes hand in hand with absolute responsibility for our actions.
Sartre expressed that if someone reacts in horror to the suggestion of living their life repeatedly forever, it implies that they are not living authentically to their true self. Instead, they are making choices based on external expectations and lying to themselves, also known as living in “bad faith.”
You may have heard of Camus’ “The Myth of Sisyphus” before. It involves Sisyphus being punished in the afterlife and made to roll a rock up a mountain. But, every time he reaches the top, the rock rolls all the way back down. This is a symbol of a life of labor as a form of punishment. Camus explores the idea that Sisyphus may approach this taunting task with joy, once he accepts his fate. Happiness is interlinked with this myth, as the idea is connected to the discovery that fate is in our control. Once you find out there is no meaning, you can choose despair, faith, or rebellion.
Readers view the task of rolling the rock up the hill as horrific, as it is a hopeless and seemingly meaningless struggle. Of course, the short story compares the impossible task of rolling the rock up the hill to the pursuit of life. When Sisyphus accepts his fate, only then does he have control over it – if he does not hope, the gods have no means of punishment.
The main takeaway from The Myth of Sisyphus is that with a full acknowledgment of our fate and limitations, we are finally able to accept our true selves. It is concluded that happiness and awareness of the absurd are interconnected.
Another story about existentialism comes from Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave. In this allegory, the reader is meant to imagine a group of people who have lived in a cave since birth, never having seen sunlight. They are stuck looking forward, and there is a fire burning behind them – which makes light and casts shadows on the cave walls. The prisoners of the cave believe that the shadows are real living entities, because it is all they know.
Readers are then asked to imagine that one of the prisoners can look at the fire and at the statues that are making shadows. He feels initial disbelief but eventually realizes that the fire and statues are more real than the shadows. Now, that same prisoner is taken out of the cave and struggles with believing this new reality. He looks up at the sun, and believes that the sun is the cause of everything he sees.
In this story, the cave represents our comforting illusions and superficial truths that people accept without questioning. When the prisoner leaves the cave, it represents an individual’s responsibility to create their own meaning. The cave represents social structures that are imposed on individuals, instead of letting individuals define social norms, religious beliefs, and tradition for themselves. The prisoners live a repetitive and meaningless reality, with the message being to find meaning within themselves. In the end, the burden of an existential awakening was too much to bear, and the prisoners go back to the cave instead of the uncertainty of freedom in the real world.
Are you unknowingly grappling with existential thoughts? Are you worrying about your thoughts, such as future career goals, coming to terms with your identity, dealing with social media effects, or struggling with maintaining relationships?
To cope with existentialist thoughts, you can actively choose to use existentialism in your everyday life. By this, I mean you can choose your purpose rather than follow expectations set by society. You can also accept responsibility for your actions, instead of blaming outside forces.
It is both challenging and uncomfortable to do. But, if you want to live with the teachings of existentialism, it is necessary to face life’s uncomfortable uncertainty with courage rather than believing in comforting illusions.
By taking after Sisyphus, you can create your own meaning in life by accepting that your individual human experience is the only thing that is truly real. We may never know if there is a greater power at hand, or a predetermined destiny, and that leaves me with one last question: How will you make meaning of your life?
