Just like the quote rightly explains, the world is a race where everyone wants to secure their identity and existence. Its a continuous cycle of fearing death and trying to maintain our existence, however we must be aware that death is not the opposite of life but in philosophical terms it's very much a part of our life.
What is existentialism?
It is a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of an individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through the act of will.
It's often said that the literal meaning of life is to protect yourself from death, but life also has a deeper meaning, wherein we humans are responsible for everything that humanity is made up of and ways in which we can sustain ourselves through the course of justice and order.
Therefore, the meaning of existence is very subjective and may vary from person to person.
How do human's validate their existence?
We, as human beings created a whole society with complex institutions and an authority to govern it so that we can validate our existence and embrace the idea of our individuality.
Most of us fear the idea of death and can never fully commence our lives but according to Socrates, death can either be treated as a dreamless sleep or a passage to another life where we can reunite with everyone else. Therefore, Socrates shunned the idea of fearing death and recommended prioritizing the cultivation of mind over body, because that determines not only the course of our life but also after-life.
Socrates once said "Life is certain, Death is certain and all the ups and downs between life and death is also certain"
Thus, he encouraged people to live without fear, especially without the fear of something as inevitable as death. Coaxing his followers to cherish every moment in life and remain unbothered about the trivialities and materiality's of the world, Socrates left the world with the most beautiful insights on the human race and its existence.
Written By - Shivam Jha
Edited By - Tushna Choksey
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