Existentialism and Humanism

Many apologies for my late blog entry. Last week has been very busy for me.

"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads." Albert Camus

I remember the first time I stumbled upon the word existentialism and its definition.  I took the surface of the meaning without taking in applications of the philosophy behind it. 

Here's my original definition: to live your life to the fullest regardless of the time you have left in your life.

I do not object to this definition I procured four years ago, but I believe there is more depth to discover.  Existentialism is about the life between point A and point B, birth and death.  There is no measurable value to your life, there is no correct way to live your life; however there are particular "guidelines" given to us through human nature.  Thanks to human diversity and variation in human interaction, there are unlimited possibilities to live which disregards societal pressures to conform, with reservation -- there are basic human interactions which influences other individuals to commune.  Now the question rises, if there are unlimited possibilities to live, how do we distinguish between moral and immoral actions?  This is where humanism intertwines with existentialism.  Humanism require individuals to create an environment suitable for human progress, to work towards the betterment of the humanity.  This disregards what we call criminal acts, murder, theft, racial profiling, etc.  We now have filtered through the ifs and buts of the purpose of life.  Excuse my cursory explanation of existentialism and humanism, but for the sake of blogging, this will do.

My original definition fits in beautifully with the provided definition above, however, there are particular applications that may contradict the purpose of existentialism and humanism.  The element of time poses a threat to the meaning of life.  Because the length of an individual's life is unknown, one may choose to merely "budget" their life.  In other words, a form of indifference arises in the midst of life, giving him the liberty to make conscious decisions to live life to the fullest at any given time.  This labels the individuals who live life through a telescope, who live through strict daily routines, stone schedules, agendas that serve to constrict one's life to their anticipated destinies.  I do not mean to live life without a calendar or a watch, but to release your dependence on time.  Indifference is a vice in humanity and it is influenced by time.  We are not a machine set to code, we are human beings with the liberty to express ourselves at any given moment. 

Now to my revised definition of existentialism.  I believe that we must live freely without the hindering thought of death and only encounter death once our eyes meet.  However, we must not depend on time to designate our actions.  We must see through a humanist lens to continuously strive for the betterment of humanity and not wait for right moment.  There are right moments in every breathe we take and the beauty of diversity gives way to unlimited possibilities for humanity. 

This is only one of many revisions.  Many which I will strongly disagree and others that I will plaster a smile on my face, but in the meantime, I've got some life to be livin'. 

Sincerely,

Dan Huh

Stop and Smell the Heliconias

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." ~Abraham Lincoln

Quality over quantity, huh? I sincerely believed that my goal in college was to graduate, to finish my classes with high marks, to add some HGH to my resume, to meet extraordinary and ordinary people. But what then? If I accomplish these menial goals, these short-term successes, how will these endeavors define me? I'll be the person who always tried to meet the expectation, the guy who lived life through a telescope. I want to be more than the expectation.

Yesterday, I stopped to smell a Heliconia flower -- this plant looks like a bird!



See?! To be honest, it did not smell great, but rather ok. I pass this flower every day, but I never take the time to stop in my tracks and stare at this bird flower. But when I did, this is what I said: 'It's beautiful.' Nothing more. If can say those two words, then I can assure myself that I am human. What is human? Being able to tell difference between a photograph and a painting, a speech and a song, searching and wandering. I do not want to strive for my goals merely for the satisfaction of others, let alone for my influenced psyche. I want to achieve happiness through my actions and later translate my happiness to an ever so curious world.

Where logical reasoning and the human psyche find common ground I am still unsure. How do they intricately weave between each other? There are a number of questions swelling my mind leaving me scrapping for answers wherever I can find them, but I'm sure I will find the answer during my time here at USD -- a good excuse for more blog entries -- the people I've met here thus far are more than I could have ever wished.

Until next time,

Dan Huh