“Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth.”
–Jean Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness
This is an understandable statement from an existential atheist. Life is not absurd if one is a Christian. Self efficacy is best described by St. Paul. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
I am somewhat depressed now.
Don’t be depressed, Sarah. Sartre was a sad, hollow man who attempted to foist his emptiness on anyone and everyone he could through his writings. He embraced virtually every totalitarian thug who managed to murder his way into power (“virtually” because he didn’t embrace Hitler…he was too enamored of Stalin at the time), becoming a mouthpiece for the enslavement of mankind.
He deserves our pity and, futile as they may be in his case, prayers.
Yikes, that brings back memories…we wallowed in that back in my college days [’60’s] and reveled in our angst in dark stark little poems that we thought were oh-so-deep. Our modern day atheist friends broadcast the same news in a more cheery, matter of fact manner.
#4: The Meaning of Life:
Aristotle (sort of): To do is to be.
Sartre: To be is to do.
Sinatra: Do be do be do.
The interesting thing about Sartre is towards the end of his life, he no longer viewed himself as a product of chance, but rather a created being that was created by a Creator whom Sartre called God. I don’t know the exact source or wording of that statement but IIRC, his friend Simone de Beauvoir suggested after his death that Sartre had sold out to the Church before he died and she was disgusted with the memory.
I wonder if that is true?