No Meaning In Life? Time To Meet Sartre!

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was a highly regarded and very famous French philosopher. He was an enthusiastic reader of the great classics and was strongly influenced by Husserl and Heidegger. He had a strong atheistic faith and became interested in Marxism during the last period of his life. However, Sartre is best known for his great interest in the meaning of life for humans.

Man is characterized by his pursuit of perfection. Perfection is what exists in the individual freedom, in the establishment of transcendent personal goals and in the freedom to be and choose. It is man’s subjectivity that governs the universe – ” Man chooses his own self during his life.” His life, unique and non-transferable, is what will carry its weight directly on the universe and all that is divine (and not the other way around).

Sartre’s work is fascinating and it would take us a long time to analyze even a fraction of it. But through some well-known quotes, perhaps we can arouse your interest in this very inspiring author.

Sartre about time

“Let’s not waste any time. There may be better ones, but this is ours. ”

How many times have you complained about being born at this age? It may be true that we do not go through one of the better periods at work, socially or creatively. It may not seem like an inspiring time for young people, who see their future moving towards fields and places they never imagined (and / or wanted).

Sartre says that we can see that the same feeling of loss, pessimism and disappointment with the present has been experienced by many people throughout history. Perhaps each era seems empty to those who live in it, but each era is necessary for future generations. Each era plays its part, and now you are a part of yours. Play it!

Sartre and pessimism

“Like all thinkers, I am puzzled by the disappointment with the truth.”

Many of us look at life’s events through a negative lens. However, do not forget that all science begins with doubt and that your pessimism may help you to ask questions that others do not ask, thereby generating answers that no one has received before you.

We live in a time of “be calm” and “be happy”, which are good recommendations if we realize that in order to live in these two stages , it is absolutely necessary to experience the complementary “negative” stages that are just as human, such as anxiety and confusion, disappointment, sadness and fatigue.

So stop judging your pessimism and instead draw strength from it. Maybe your “be happy” can come from there.

About taking responsibility

“Man is doomed to be free, because once he is thrown into this world, he is responsible for everything he does.”

Stop making excuses. About the system, your painful ending with your partner and your parents’ perversity. Stop believing that you are not free to be exactly who you want to be.

Freedom is not given by outside agents, but rather comes from how your soul, which is free from nature, copes with life. This is the clearest definition of freedom and responsibility that can be given to us.

This in turn is related to another statement from this brilliant author: “It is not important what others have made us, but what we have done with what they have made us.”

How do you really live?

“Everything has come up except how you live.”

Yes, you were right. This life is an extremely complicated chaos. Do not try to learn how to live it or give others answers on how to do it. The only way to get out of this chaos is to follow their instincts, which are often crushed by burdens from others and society.

Look for a formula that will help you get through concrete situations better, but be careful: it will not be the same throughout life, or the best for other people in the same situation.

As they say in the movie Casino: “There are three ways to do things here: the right way, the wrong way and my way.”

Sartre about happiness

“Happiness is not doing what you want, but wanting to do what you do.”

“Oh… voilà!” Here we find one of the most difficult quotes to accept.

How can I be happy with the dishes if I have two university degrees? This is a valid question, but according to Sartre’s philosophy , it’s about understanding the relevance of each activity to your life plan.

You may be a writer in search of stories, a language fanatic, a Marxist looking for work experience or a son dedicated to improving the life of his sick mother.

Do not focus on the activity itself, but on the relevance it has for your life plan and your values. Maybe it has an important role to play, even if it feels strange. Whatever the case , look for an activity that allows you to love what you do according to the life you want for yourself and those around you. You may already be living or designing it, but find meaning in everything you do. Because it may be that what you want is exactly what you are about to let go. It is a necessary step in your development.

The view of commitment

“Commitment is an action, not a word.”

Stop being like so many politicians who only talk about programs. As a night robber who promises without delivering. As revolutionaries who have neither read a book nor been in battle. Let your actions be all you need to say, because that’s what Woody Allen said: “Things are not said, they are done, because by doing them they speak for themselves.”

What does it mean to dream?

“In theory, to dream is to live a little, but to live a dream is to not exist.”

Do you experience too many situations where you seem to be controlled by your thoughts? You have to try to find relationships in the real world, people and situations. Look for them, create them and repeat them in thousands of different ways. This is life; your achievable dreams and your worldly paradise.

Sartre and existentialism

“Existentialism is not a form of atheism; it rather explains that even if God existed, it would not change anything. ”

Of course, many people in difficult situations are looking for some kind of spirituality that can help them overcome something unpleasant that has exhausted all their physical and emotional means. But if you are looking for mysterious causes and solutions to a problem you have encountered, you may become too distracted from the path you are taking and the means you actually have in life. Means that you may not have known how to use well (friends, sports, reading, love of nature…).

We do not know if there is a life after this, but do not worry too much about it. Your life will not be magically fixed because of this. This is how people have spent most of the story, but do not waste too much time in your own life on this. Live it as well as you can!

We hope these quotes have made you rethink certain things in your life if you are going through a confusing period. Do not forget that people sometimes lose themselves in themselves while others find themselves. And that philosophers like Sartre have dedicated themselves to leaving excellent traces for posterity. Traces that give us light in the moments when the darkness seems deepest.