Wes Brandt
“Existentialism”
What does it mean to exist? This is quite the loaded question. One may say that advancing
civilization, amassing great wealth, or even simply being good is what it truly means to exist. For the
French Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, it meant nothing. He believed that there is no actual true meaning
to one’s existence. While one may immediately disregard Sartre’s belief as ludicrous, he makes several
compelling points. Ironically, Sartre’s idea can inspire hope; there is no need to worry about one’s own
life, because there is simply no meaning.
When one comes to be, one’s existence means nothing. It is only through the effort to define
one’s self that true meaning in existence begins to form. This is what Sartre meant when he said
“existence precedes essence.” If one allows others to mold them, there is no meaning in their existence.
A being comes in to existence in the same random fashion that a thought pops in to one’s head. Just like
thoughts need to be built upon in order to obtain an idea worth having, one must define themselves in
order to have a life worth living. Sartre believed that if one does not define one’s own life, their
existence continues to mean nothing. One of the most important defining factors in one’s life is, in fact,
is what one chooses not to be. One may choose to not commit crimes, so one becomes defined as not
being a felon. In time, one is able to know the self entirely. However, even though one is capable of
getting to the point where the self is completely realized, Sartre believed that it is impossible to be fully
understood by others, and vice versa.
According to Sartre, at its most basic level, there are only two “sides” in everyone’s world: the
being, and objects; or, the being-for-itself, and the being-in-itself. While one’s being means everything
