Each of us is fully responsible for our own lives. And if you are not lucky and succeed in life did not work out – for reasons beyond the control of a person? Existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre on what gives us hope.
“Reality is only in action… Man exists only insofar as he realizes himself. He is, therefore, nothing but the totality of his actions… Hence it is clear why our teaching inspires horror in some people.
After all, they often console themselves in the following way: “Circumstances were against me, I am worth much more than what I have achieved. True, I did not have great love or great friendship, but that is only because I did not meet a man or woman who would be worthy of it.
I didn’t write good books, but that’s because I didn’t have the free time for it. I didn’t have children to whom I could devote myself, but that’s because I didn’t find a person with whom I could go through life.
In me, therefore, many abilities, inclinations and possibilities remained unused, which can be used at any moment and thanks to which I am worth much more than could be judged only by my actions.
“A person enters life and determines his appearance, and outside this appearance there is nothing”
However, in reality, according to existentialists, there is no love other than that which creates itself; there is no “possible” love, except that which is manifested in love. There is no genius other than that which expresses itself in works of art.
Proust’s genius is the sum total of Proust’s works. The genius of Racine is a series of his tragedies, and there is nothing outside of this. Why say that Racine could write another tragedy if he didn’t? A person enters into life and determines his appearance, and outside this appearance there is nothing.
Jean-Paul Sartre “Existentialism is Humanism” (in “Man under siege”, Vagrius, 2006)
About expert
Jean paul sartre (1905-1980) — French writer, philosopher, creator of atheistic existentialism, public figure, had a great influence on the intellectual life of the twentieth century. Author of the philosophical work “Being and Nothingness”. In 1964, Sartre received the Nobel Prize in Literature, but refused the award on principle.