Not Just A Kanye West Song
There have been many contributors to existentialism, but in this blog post I want to focus on Heidegger and Frankl contributions to this psycho-philosophy. First, I want to briefly mention what existentialism is. It is basically focusing on how we exist and the meaning of our existence. According to Heidegger there are tow ways to live your life: authentically or not authentically. Living an authentic life is being aware and really accepting that one day you will day. When one realizes this he or she will be motivated to really live life and make it meaningful; he or she will truly become. (Becoming means to personally grow.) An an inauthentic life is refusing to acknowledge that fact of life. Therefore they have hinder truly understanding themselves. In addition to that, most existentialist believe that their is a meaning for everything in life. That was the main thing that helped Victor Frankl get through his time in the Concentration Camp. One thing he said was, ” Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning”. In order to truly live life one must know their purpose and why they are living. In his book Man’s Search for Meaning he describes if the prisoners have a purpose to live like a children or wife to care for or a book to finish writing that only they can write then they would not commit suicide. The key to surviving and flourishing is living out that purpose.
However there is thrownness which can make it hard to exercise the freedom one has to becoming. However most existentialist believe
“What does not kill me, makes me stronger”
which was an original thought from Nietzsche. Frankl also quotes that in his book. The purpose of suffering is to make us stronger and to help others through their struggles. Christ even says that in this world we will have trouble in John 16, but there is hope. He overcame it and so can we! Being persecuted for your faith and suffering for it, is considered an honor in the New Testament.. Existentialist view on life is very sad to some people, but when one digs deeper it can be a fire that lights us up to start truly living. I like to put this under the category of New creation or Redemption. I think mainly because the view looks at death right in the eye with no fear. I feel like once the New Heaven and Earth comes we will be the same way. We won’t fear death, because it will not exist anymore. Or it could be redemptive since death is more of what motivates one to live. It usually has a negative connotation, but it doesn’t have to.
PS Kelly Clarkson also has a song with this same theme.
Irene Anderson on Darwinism - Creation
5:00 pm, 10.21.13
D.J. I really like how you arrive at your conclusions and mention the fault you find in us taking Darwin’s view too far. Have you ever thought about the fact that we need to change or adapt is a product of the fall? I think Darwin could fall in that category as well. (Excuse my pun! lol) In the Garden of Eden everything was balanced in perfect. There was not even a need for clothes or earthquake watches etc. The did not have to even hunt their food or so ccit seems. Obviously God uses this for our good, but the fact that we have to change or adapt results from the fall.
Irene Anderson on Darwin's Outlook
9:15 pm, 10.20.13
Hello Lindsay!
I really like the quote you used from Darwin. Often we lump him with this one view and immediately write him off, but he actually he had pretty wise things to say. If we are not willing to change whether it means expanding our minds or dealing with or sins then we really won’t survive. The heart surviving is just as valuable as the body and mind. Thanks so much! 😀
Irene Anderson on Goethe and Redemption
12:54 am, 10.07.13
I really love the quote that you have with Goeth’s picture. I really feel like it has such truth in it. Your post is definitely intriguing. I love that you have such an optimistic view of Goeth. however, do you you think there is a time to not embrace the bad in life? We will have our trails and tribulations without a doubt, but emotions like hate or anger can lead to worst things. It just seemed like you want us to also embrace our flaws. I could be making wrong assumptions, but sometimes I just like to challenge. lol (I just think of embracing as accepting and not letting go.) We should acknowledge the bad and not hide it from people or keep it in the dark even if it’s secrets or painful things we have gone through so I agree with that. God can use our worst times to teach us the best lessons. Thanks for posting this!
Irene Anderson on Kierkegaard: Creation or Redemption?
12:28 am, 10.07.13
I really enjoyed how you tied everything together. I agree that Kierkegaard falls into the redemption category. People before Christ had all the rules they had to follow, but when Christ came he performed miracles. Ones that rules could not explain. Also He did bring freedom in a new way through a new avenue that the law could not provide.
Irene Anderson on Romanticism and The Fall
11:52 pm, 10.06.13
Jenny this was so insightful. I love how the philosophers are so relatable. The Lord said that in this world we would have trouble, but take heart I have over come the world. (John 16:33) We have the choice whether to walk in that freedom or not and some people choose not to. It’s a sad reality. We also see that with addictions and some mental illnesses as well! Futhermore, passion I think is God-given. It can be used for godly things, like a job. It just has been distorted by the fall.
Irene Anderson on Francisco Petrarch
12:38 am, 09.23.13
Well said Lindsay! I like that he had this need to not only know, but to do! Knowing stuff is good, but if you don’t do anything with you it doesn’t bear fruit. He also is very restorative in his thinking. I like that he doesn’t just believe something because it is popular, but that he studies it. Many people are spoon fed religious beliefs or political beliefs even and it does nothing for the mind.
Irene Anderson on Free Will
12:21 am, 09.23.13
Interesting blog post Sydney I could have read more! Anyways I agree that we have the choice as to which path we want to walk on, but something tells me that the Lord gives us many opportunities to choose the best way to go. Christianity may sometimes feel like slavery which is an interesting point to bring up, but having a relationship with Christ should not feel like that. In those times they stressed religion not relationship so I imagine that everything felt like a chore.However Jesus tells us and shows us the best way. All we have to do is follow it. Sometimes its that simple. Free will to me can show the fall of man in how they use it, but also redemption. God by giving us free will trust us and I don’t know why, but I love that he trust us.
Irene Anderson on The "Jewish Plato"
12:09 am, 09.23.13
Well God did give Adam the ability to name the animals and have dominion over them. I think he gave them, desires and they chose to do with it what they wanted.I don’t think he sat them down and taught them everything they needed to know, but they were highly dependent on God for provision for sure. Knowledge can be redemption as well because once you know something or are made aware of something it changes you. It grows you. For example, being made aware of your weakness can help you not do certain things.
Irene Anderson on In the Beginning...
10:18 pm, 09.09.13
Thanks guys for your psoitive feedback and questions. I really enjoyed this!
Matt–I don’t think poverty is because your soul doesn’t need the same things your body does. I guess one could be poor in spirit; the Bible does talk about that, but I think in the spiritual world money is of little value. I think poverty is more a syptom of man’s fall.
Savannah–I don’t think it should do anything to science. Jesus created science and knew that people were going to eventually figure out how things work and how numbers work. I think God is a very logical being. So i think it could enhance science and show that these two things don’t always have to be at war with each other. Maybe they don’t really clash as much as we think they do. I am in Astronomy and somehow we end up talking about God all the time. If anything because of science we can realize how big and grande and unimaginably smart and creative God is.
Irene Anderson on Man is the measure of all things
10:02 pm, 09.09.13
I really like the Oscar Wilde quote that you integrated in your blog. I think it could apply to the arts and being smart. One can not teach another to be talented or to work hard. They must do it themselves. They must make a choice to invest and to practice and to keep going even when they have no strength or motivation to. I also think it means that if you discover truth on your own and it’s not spoon fed to you, you are more likely to stick to it. Is that also what you mean? However, I don’t completely understand how it applies to questions about the truth in life. Can you clarify that more? Thanks so much!!!!