Philosophy Essay Example: The Meaning of Existing

Existing by definition is to have an actual being, to be real. Humans are born, and die every day; it is a continuous cycle of life. From the moment they are born, people exist and are now tasked with surviving as long as possible on earth. Along the way, some will discover that their existence has no true meaning if it's the same as everyone else's, so they diverge from their path and try to find anew, they live life on the edge of their seats and treat each day as something new and not the one before. However, others will discover that they can't truly fathom their existence if they have no understanding of how they came to be and what will come after them, and so the studies of astrophysics, astronomy, and philosophy were born. People searching for the key to their existence all have one thing in common, their expectations for unknown and uncharted fields. What both may discover will be different, but they went in intending to come up with something new.

Transcendentalism is a philosophy in which the meaning of existence is defined through experiences. To transcend means to go beyond the limit of an abstract field, in this case, life. The base all humans were given was existing; but once they truly transcend and see beyond the lenses of the given, they can begin living. Although they can sometimes be used interchangeably in the English language, existing is not living. Life is a collection of memories, whereas existence is only a state of being, a passing occurrence. Henry David Thoreau—who contributed greatly to transcendentalism—once said that this world is but a canvas for our imagination. Some humans exist day to day on autopilot; they have no dreams and ambitions; they take each day one step at a time and are just trying to make it to tomorrow. But living is not merely about surviving; it is about feeling, about looking forward to tomorrow. In the words of Ralph Emerson “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” The suffering people overcome, the laughter and happiness they shared, that is what it means to have lived.

Existentialism is a philosophy that focuses on the study of man. The issue of life has always plagued the minds of men. Trying to figure out people's purpose for existing. Nothingness is one of the concepts that shows up in existentialism. Nothingness is a state that man experiences where there is no purpose in his life; it is the hollowness humans encounter. And to fill this hole comes religion. Humanity since the beginning of time, has always looked to a higher power to explain its existence. Christians look to God, Muslims to Allah, Jews to Yahweh etc. They weave intricate stories of what once was and what is to come. Religion indeed gives people the peace of mind that if they live their lives in a certain way that a place is guaranteed to them. However, this thinking is problematic as there is no guarantee that the end promised is the end received. “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”- Christopher Hitchens.