I read the following before class today and it blew my mind. It's an excerpt of Jean-Paul Sartre on Stoicisim and existentialism (specifically, from Saint Genet:

"It is in suffering, alone, that [man] can feel himself to be free, because it is the only feeling which can come from within himself. Unless one is a god, one cannot become happy without the cooperation of the universe; but to be unhappy, one needs only oneself ... [Man] does not seek the motive of his ... actions in an appetite for suffering: he wishes that his actions be the effects of an absolute will, which draws its motive from itself alone and not from the world."

"THAT'S IT!!!" Is what I thought when I read this! I've always been drawn to existenz and atheism and the such and THIS hits the nail on the head for me.

The meaning of life is not to attain happiness, but to have the effects of our actions be genuine and true to the actions and the actions alone.

Discuss!

Before I can discuss, I think I will have to read this site. (http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/index.html)

I have had it bookmarked for a while and just felt too overwhelmed to give it a thorough read.

jean-paul sartre is a brilliant man and i've believed in the existentialist philosophy for a long time now. the idea of absolute responsibility for your actions is really something that people need to begin living by.

i have to admit that when he starts duelving into the idea that man is destined to suffer, atheistic themes, etc, he starts to lose me a bit. but if you strip the major existentialist themes away from emotion or faith, i think it's a very solid philosophy - perform actions as though you're choosing those actions for the world. take complete responsibility for your actions, as performing actions that are not true due to outside circumstances is bad faith. all that matters, all that has meaning in the world, are your actions. strong words, but i'm in complete agreement.

if you've ever seen "the wall" by pink floyd, i'd be the first to argue that there are many existentialist themes running through the movie.

Originally posted by Thalia
Before I can discuss, I think I will have to read this site. (http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/index.html)

I have had it bookmarked for a while and just felt too overwhelmed to give it a thorough read.

That's a great site! Thanks!

I liked that site too and got sidetracked from VB for several hours......