“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.
It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre
This philosophy, popularized by Jean-Paul Satre and Albert Camus, is probably my favorite in this list. Just because of how simple and powerful the core belief is.
Existentialism is centered around the idea that life has no meaning. But the meaning is what you choose to make it. “How the hell do we make our own meaning?” Well, this is where freedom comes in.
According to Satre, the beauty of being a human is our freedom. We have the capacity to do whatever we like, even if sometimes we feel trapped by the mental barriers we create for ourselves.
“Freedom is what we do with what is done to us.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre
The beauty of incorporating existentialism in your life is that it is incredibly empowering to have this belief about freedom in your life. Maybe you feel trapped in a career or a relationship, thinking you can’t get out because your life depends on it.
Well, Sartre would call bull. You are free to do whatever you want, even if that means dropping your job as a lawyer to backpack around Asia at 56 years old. The only thing stopping you is these fake barriers in your mind.
Once you understand that your life is determined by your freedom to do as you please, you will feel pressure lifted off your shoulders. Because remember, there is no point in life but to do what you want.
Existentialism is my favorite philosophy for a reason, it gives life meaning when everything around us can seem pointless, monotonous, and dreadful. There is hope within the meaningless abyss, and Sartre helps us to see that.
Existentialism: The freedom you possess makes the world a place of limitless opportunities. You should feel liberated knowing you aren't restricted to anything.