You don’t find oak trees having existential crisis. ‘I feel so rotten about myself. I don’t produce as much acorns as the one next to me — Adyashanti
For some, the cognizance of mortality is a cataclysmic event. Although its precise consequences are unpredictable and could be either positive or negative. They might lead to debilitation, foster spiritual development, or serve as a wellspring for creativity. In one way or another, the event can end up turning one’s life upside down. It disrupts our assumptions, challenges our purpose, and forces us to confront our finite existence.
In the presence of mortality, even seemingly simple acts like reading, learning, and working take on a questioning hue.
The cognizance of mortality is like Dementors — it can slowly drain happiness and vitality.
The cognizance of mortality makes us wonder about the meaning and purpose of life. Balancing mortality and life within us can be challenging, if not insurmountable.
The dysfunctional union of mortality and life is the beginning of the existential crisis and makes us question life’s meaning and purpose. Why are we born with a beginning and an end? What purpose does our finite existence serve on this Earth? If all is going to end in the loss of the self that we cultivate with much effort and diligence, what is the point of the journey and all the effort it entails?
While being born was not our choice, we must carry on despite existential crises. To be able to live with a semblance of sanity, we have to find (and build) a meaning for our existence. While doing that we also need to accept the fact that the meaning we construct may not last forever.
We must acknowledge that circumstances change, and the protective moat of meaning we construct may eventually run dry.
For instance, aging or other factors — social, cognitive, or physical — may necessitate us to retire and make us question our identity. The loss of a loved one may bring questions about existence anew.
Change can also be as subtle as our evolving values; what was meaningful yesterday may lose its impact today.
When change occurs, successfully navigating the transition involves rebuilding our inner moat and finding a new meaning and purpose for life.
Ultimately, a recipe for a peaceful life involves skillfully confronting changes and fortifying our moats against existential crisis.
With all that the cognizance of mortality can gift or curse us with, what brings it on to begin with?
Our awareness of mortality fundamentally stems from our awareness of the future. Our capability to think about the future, in turn, is part of the matrix that our consciousness is.
One hallmark of our consciousness is the ability to perceive the flow of time — to know where we were, where we are, and where we might be tomorrow. It is remembering the past, knowing the present, and thinking about the future.
Consciousness is a double-edged sword. It granted us an advantage in the game of natural selection for survival and reproduction. It also gifted us with knowledge of the future.
It is in the future where mortality lurks, and it is our ability to think about the future that its cognizance emerges from.
I guess consciousness is no free lunch. At least some of us have to pay a price for its gift.
Ciao.
Of interest:
Building a framework for Living — A laminated guide
Paradox of Living
The ailment of existential crisis
Taming Mortality
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