A Presentation by James Park------------------Our Existential Predicament
 

Our Existential Predicament

and Its Solution

SYNOPSIS:

    Do we feel lonely, depressed, meaningless, anxious, guilty, insecure?
For each of these psychological feelings (which we can easily understand),
we will uncover a hidden existential twin,
a much deeper problem that only seems to be psychological:
Behind interpersonal loneliness,
we will discover existential loneliness.
Underneath psychological depression,
we will notice existential depression.
Beneath ordinary fears and worries,
we will perceive existential anxiety.
Below understandable pangs of conscience,
we will uncover existential guilt.
Underlying our ordinary fears of death,
we will discover ontological anxiety.
Likewise for: absurdity, meaninglessness, the existential Void,
existential splitting, despair, & insecurity.

OUTLINE:
             THE HUMAN CONDITION           OUR EXISTENTIAL PREDICAMENT

1. descrip-  Intelligible, specific            An unintelligible deeper Malaise,
      tion:    problems;                          without its own description;
                psychologically                    free-floating, non-specific,
                definable.                            generalized, undefinable.

2. cause:    Caused by the objective     Uncaused; primordial;
             and recognizable                    not the result of any
             facts of human life.                part of the human condition.
             Has a specific                          Has no channel of approach;
             channel of approach.              'from' everywhere and nowhere.

3. duration: Each intelligible                A permanent inner
             problem is temporary;            state-of-being;
             may pass by.                           does not pass away.

4. scope:    Each problem                     All-embracing, pervasive,
             touches only a few                  comprehensive Problem;
             dimensions of life.                   floods everywhere.

5. cure:     We know what to do.         We don't know what to do.

TRANSCENDING OUR MALAISE: EXISTENTIAL FREEDOM

A. Becoming Aware of our Existential Predicament.
B. Giving Up Self-Sufficient Efforts to Liberate Ourselves.
C. Existential Surrender.


    James Park is an existential philosopher. His longest book,
which analyzes our Existential Malaise in 11 different ways, is

Our Existential Predicament:
Loneliness, Depression, Anxiety, & Death.

For more information about this book,
click these magic blue words:

Our Existential Predicament:
Loneliness, Depression, Anxiety, & Death.


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