Existentialism Defined

This idea was expanded upon for another 300 years until, in the 20th century, it was fully developed as the philosophy of Existentialism and popularized in the writings of French authors like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus during World War 2. It gave hope to intellectuals during the war who felt that, while their bodies were imprisoned, their minds could not be broken.

The Existential movement basically spoke out to the oppressed that they should strive to be what they are meant to be. Sartre expressed in his writings that there is either being or there is nothingness. There is existence and their is essence. Yes, we all exist, but who are we really? Are you John, the baker? Are you Mary, the florist? What about your children? Who will they become?

For example, what if you had the potential to be a great concert pianist, but became an insurance salesman instead? That would be going against your essence. The "Existential Hero" in literature was always the person who defined his own being, without settling for what others expected of him.

We, as humans, are not just the mere sum of our parts, with eyes, ears, legs, arms, toes etc., but how do others see us? This was a concern for Sartre as he felt we are constantly judged by others who categorize us as a certain type of person. Unless we assert ourselves as being somebody, then other people will label us as they see fit.

So, in many ways Existentialism is a call to action to be all you can be. It is to discover your natural talent and abilities to rise above the fold. This philosophical movement died out in the 1970's to be replaced by the "New Age" movement with all it's self-help gurus and inner peace for the outer self. New Age became mostly about quieting those inner thoughts that were so dominant before with Existentialism. Either way, we need to be aware of ourselves. We need to THINK for ourselves! We need to find ourselves...