EXISTENTIALISMReporter: LEONARD PATRICK BAYNO

Proponents Soren Kierkegaard – “Leap of Faith” Friedrich Nietzsche – “GOD is DEAD.” Martin Heidegger – “Being and

Non-Being”

Emphasis:

Jean-Paul Sartre – “Man is condemned to be free.”

Albert Camus – “Life is absurd.”

“GOD is DEAD”“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: Who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?”

Jean-Paul Sartre

We are not brought into this world already condemned to follow certain rules and adopt a certain identity. Our existence affords us the opportunity to define ourselves. We create and determine who we are. Hence we are absolutely free. However, absolute freedom also implies absolute responsibility.

Analogy: Existence over Essence Suppose an inventor comes up with the idea

of a paper-cutter The concept is created first for a definite

purpose and then the item is made having the properties of the concept

So, the paper-cutter’s essence precedes its existence

If we conceive God as the creator of the Universe such as Gottfried Leibniz or Rene Descartes, then God has thought about the Universe and knows exactly what he is creating

Analogy Continued…

Following this line of thinking, according to Sartre, then God“Thus, the concept of man in the

mind of God is comparable to the concept of paper-cutter in the mind of the manufacturer, and, following certain techniques and a conception, God produces man, just as the artisan, following a definition and a technique, makes a paper-cutter.

“Man is condemned to be free.”

Condemned because he did not create himself, yet in other respects is free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.

Albert Camus

Although there can never be any meaning in Sisyphus’ task, there is meaning is choosing each time to continue.

Life

is

absurd.

Life

isabsur

d.

Existential View of Human NatureThe capacity for self-awarenessThe tension between freedom &

responsibilityThe creation of an identity &

establishing meaningful relationshipsThe search for meaning, purpose, and

values of lifeAccepting anxiety as a condition of

livingThe awareness of death and nonbeing

Self-Awareness We are born without definition. We must

search for our meaning. We cannot Google the definition of

ourselves. We have the choice to act or not to act. The search for meaning is not easy. We are

subject to loneliness, meaninglessness, emptiness, guilt, and isolation

Example:

Jason Bourne

Freedom and ResponsibilityUniversal Paradox – “You are free to choose, but not free from the consequence of your choice.”

We are responsible for our success and failures. Ergo, we are responsible for our lives

We are free to choose among the thousand alternatives

Do not blame others for their problems

Striving for Identity

Identity is the “courage to be”

We are the architects of our life.

We must trust ourselves to search within and find our own answers

Our great fear is that we will discover that there is no core, no self.

STRUGGLE

Relationship with Others

Still a matter of choice – whether to choose “good” or “evil”

“How I know you affects how I relate to you.” – Henry Visitacion

Good = RelationshipEvil = Alone

Anxiety Uncertainty of our decisions in life. Dilemma between right choices or wrong choices.

Example:

Batman: The Dark Knight

“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” – George E. Mueller

Accept that anxiety is a natural condition. Always trust yourself.

Death and Non-Being

According to Martin Heidegger, human beings can never hope to understand why they are here; instead, each individual must choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction, aware of the certainty of death and the ultimate meaninglessness of one's life.

Life is short. Ergo, live life to the fullest.

Example:

3 Days to Kill

EXISTENTIAL APPROACH TO GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING1. This makes the client feel that he is loved,

believed in, accepted and capable of doing things. That would lead them and help them decide for themselves.

2. Existentialists enable clients to become aware of similar conditions and qualities in themselves. It is pointed out that through this process clients come to recognize their potentialities and achieve self-growth by accepting it as their responsibility. In a nut shell, it can be said that making the client accept responsibility for himself is the aim of existential counseling.

EXISTENTIAL APPROACH TO GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING3. The existential approach is all about

exploring meaning and value and learning to live authentically — that is, in accordance with one’s own ideals, priorities and values. Authentic living means being true to oneself and honest about one’s own possibilities and limitations, continually creating one’s own identity even in the face of deep uncertainty about everything in the future except for the eventual arrival of our own death. Authentic living means living deliberately, rather than by default.

EXISTENTIAL APPROACH TO GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING4. Existential counseling maintains

that disturbance is an inevitable experience for everyone; the question is not so much how to avoid it as it is how to face it with openness and a willingness to engage with life rather than a tendency to retreat, withdraw or refrain from responsibility.

ConclusionMankind has free will.Life is a series of choices, creating

stress.Few decisions are without any

negative consequences.Some things are irrational or

absurd, without explanation.If one makes a decision, he or she

must follow through.

FREEDOM

CHOICE

CHOICE

CHOICE

Thank You