Source An example of Entropy: (Light Waves through a Prism)
I refuse to take existentialism
as just another fashion...
...or historical curiosity...
...because it has something important
to offer for the new century.
I'm afraid we're losing the real
virtues of living life passionately...
...taking responsibility
for who you are...
...making something of yourself
and feeling good about life.
Existentialism is often discussed
as a philosophy of despair...
...but I think it's the opposite.
Sartre once said he never really
felt a day of despair in his life.
One thing that comes
from these guys...
...is not a sense of anguish
so much as...
...an exuberance of feeling
on top of it.
It's like your life
is yours to create.
I've read
the postmodernists with interest.
But I always have this awful,
nagging feeling...
...that something essential
is left out.
The more you talk about a person...
...as a social construction
or a confluence of forces...
...or as fragmented or marginalized...
...then you open up
a whole new world of excuses.
When Sartre talks about
responsibility, it's not abstract.
It's not the kind of self or soul
that theologians argue about.
It's something concrete.
It's us talking...
...making decisions
and taking the consequences.
There are six billion
people in the world.
Nevertheless, what you do
makes a difference.
It makes a difference
in material terms and to other people.
It sets an example.
The message is, we should
never write ourselves off...
...and see ourselves as victims
of various forces.
It's always our decision who we are.
-> Personal comment: I mostly agree with Sartre's argument but "previous various forces" still remain a really huge influence upon our daily actions.
My interest towards this fascinating world has been awoken during my life experience by different previous events... Considering also that my personality given from birth determined my behaviour, my reactions to different events that shaped me who I am today. I was pre-determined to be this person.
"I am a variable into a constant which acts upon me and I react upon it." (Life Cycle)