In short, an existential crisis is a point in someone’s life when a person experiences serious doubt about their life. They question whether their life has any purpose, value, or anything of substance whatsoever–this can also lead to a lot of doubt about other things. It doesn’t have to be solely about their lives; they can also question whether the reality they are living in is real, or whether there is such a thing as good or bad. But most of the time, it’s about the purpose of their lives.
While existential crises may surround a person with doubts regarding their own lives, it can also be an opportunity to bring up and ask questions about all of our existence. The sheer vastness of the universe is nothing short of terrifying, and since we don’t even occupy .000000001% of the universe, we are going to have some questions. Whether they may be a God, or supreme power above us–we are not sure, and therefore, are on our own with nobody to turn to for these questions. Still, it poses no harm in asking, “Why are we here?” and “What is our purpose?” and throwing some doubt into the wind every now and then.
Then there are certain crises where the absolute fear of your own mortality and insignificance becomes an unpleasant cross to bear. In my personal experience, one particular crisis left me absolutely destroyed in my philosophy after readingPrincipia Ethica, by G.E. Moore; which said that the world we live in is not what we think it to be. He said that goodness and evil are our manifestations for phenomena that we cannot explain using our limited scope of language. There is no good, there is no evil, and everything that falls in between are only words and actions that carry little to no purpose.
After finishing the book, I was thrown into a serious of questions that racked my brain with even more questions over the course of one week. No clear answer could be found to any question I thought of, and as soon as I thought about one question, about a dozen more popped up. For the next seven days, doubt and worry took me over, and there was no way I could handle it. I lay awake in my bed thinking about my own being and how it could have no significance whatsoever in the universe, and when I finally fell asleep, terrible nightmares would accompany me as horrifying visions and figures reminded me that I was only a man–and nothing else.
However, one thing common about existential crises is that they never last. You may have an intense period of questioning and wonder about the purpose of your life–but you will be brought back to reality and your state of being when you realize that you are real, and in this particular time.
The good thing about existential crises is that they make people think, and while the topic may not be the most pleasant one, it does not fail in turning the gears in one’s conscience. Famous philosophers like Socrates, the Stoics, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Camus have all had existential crises at one point or another in their lives, and have made fascinating contributions as to the question of our existence. Debating the question of our existence with others (along with other questions) is a great way to engage in healthy debate and listen to another person’s viewpoint.
Still, an existential crisis is like puberty–it happens to everyone, and can affect everyone differently. But there should be no reason to get yourself down about it; it’s a perfectly healthy reaction to all the mystery surrounding us, and to all the questions we can’t answer. After all, life is but what one makes of it, and it can be as beautiful or horrifying as you make it the next time you stare up into the night sky.
