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