A few days ago, surfing Facebook for amazing education-friendly, bloggable idea (like Tony Vincent’s share of GIFCap, that allows you to create animated GIFs from a screen recording), I stumbled on a random Philosophy group.

In one of the posts, someone was asking a question about their life, and I recognized some of the challenges. The challenges referred to how awareness of history, religion, the underlying purposes of each, had all come together to cause an existential crisis. The person didn’t define it that way (neither did I, for that matter), and the Facebook commenters were kind enough to define it for the person. 

Of course, their exchange caused some reflection on my part. I had a feeling I knew what this person was going through. Fortunately, my privileged position has sheltered me from the worst effects of anxiety, depression, etc. For me, it’s about finding my place in the cosmos and forgiving my past obliviousness to false stories that, while helpful, kept me in the dark…a protective shell against the slings and arrows of fortune. Rationalizations in the extreme. But getting “woke” still isn’t quite the whole thing.

This is the definition one person pasted as an image, obviously, one they had kept for themselves, too:

The text is as follows:

An existential crisis refers to a period of intense self-examination and questioning about the purpose and meaning of one’s life, as well as the larger meaning and purpose of existence itself. This can be triggered by a variety of factors, such as a major life event, a period of personal growth or change, or a feeling of being stuck or unfulfilled.

During an existential crisis, individuals may experience feelings of anxiety, depression, confusion, and a sense of disconnection from themselves and the world around them. They may question their beliefs, values, and goals, and may struggle to find a sense of direction or meaning in their lives.

What Does It Mean To Me?

Like anyone else, I had my own “minor” existential crisis at age 19. A priest told me that’s what I was going through, although he didn’t call it that. I did some digging, but obviously, I didn’t dig deep enough. If I had, I would have embraced philosophy, logic, critical thinking/reading, and read more Carl Sagan, Bertrand Russell, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and questioned the veracity of history and religious beliefs.

I am a bit further down the road, still mostly ignorant about the larger questions, but some responses in draft mode. That said, I’ve decided to let go of a few ideas that I carried with me through life so far. But existential crisis seems like an apt label. 

Carl Sagan has been quite a great help in this. I found this quote quite powerful:

 “For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”

As a result, I take great comfort in family, friends, and experiences…and being able to write about what I’m learning. 

The next challenge? Asking how to better embody the lessons in ideas like those expressed below:

Source: The Ten Commitments

That’s a lifetime of study and work. Time to begin again. I wanted to represent that in a piece of jewelry…a cross or memento mori kind of thing was a bit off for me. I decided to use the owl to symbolize this part of the life journey I’m on.

It’s silly, really, since anything (or nothing) would work. But I like owls, and why not?

“Owls symbolize inner wisdom, change, transformation, intuitive development, good luck, and self-actualization,” says Charlotte Kirsten, M.A., a cultural symbolism expert and founder of Typically Topical. Read more.

Image Source