Combating Hopelessness: Existentialism 
Finding Meaning in the Absurd

With the current state of the world there have been many individuals experiencing struggles with hopelessness. It is difficult to imagine pursuing nearly any goal when so much is shown to us on a daily basis that seems to imply new pursuits are impossible because of barriers to entry and established ones are so unstable that further investment is futile. In this type of environment the pathways to finding meaning in any action seems to feel like an ever steepening sisyphean slope. When faced with such reasons for hopelessness it may prove beneficial to look towards the philosophers and psychological thinkers who attempted to face head on, understand, and overcome these same challenges. In particular, existentialists who - through acknowledging what they saw as hard truths about meaning and freedom - came to resolve to a point certain tensions of the human condition. Their insights and contemplations may give way to perspective that redefines our actions in daily life and reignites the inimitable part within every one of us.

The Philosophy of Existentialism

While there is deep history to the philosophical orientation of existentialism; the simple definition is to reckon with the belief that there is no inherent meaning to the world. In essence, we have many questions to answer if we take the position that the world does not have or make meaning for us. We have to choose it. This however lends itself to a deluge of ever deepening questions about how to choose, who can choose, what is choice, what is meaning, what is freedom, etc. All of these questions have been in the pursuit of the original sentiment: to reckon with a lack of meaning if we are to assume no one or nothing gives it to us. From their perspective we are only given existence; anything more is up to us. 

Making Meaning

To make meaning is to understand that it cannot be found. The challenge with this idea is that it can get confusing to differentiate the two. For example, if I were to choose a career because it gave me purpose - did I find meaning by obtaining a career? What is argued is that it is not the career that gives me meaning but the pursuit of it that does. It is the effort and willingness to seek for the sake of seeking that makes meaning out of the options available. I could just as easily take a career in a field that put me no closer to wellness and even reinforced depressive symptoms because the work did nothing to give me a sense of purpose. 

If we consider the historically adapted quote paraphrased to ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’; the philosophical emphasis would appear to not be on ‘being the change’ but what ‘you want to see’ in existentialist terms. As Hank Green noted in his well-documented and researched video on existentialism “If the world is inherently devoid of purpose, you can choose to imbue it with whatever purpose you want.” (CrashCourse, 2016).

Coming to Terms With Freedom

The ongoing challenge of relating to existentialist ideals is that it puts a responsibility on each one of us to find our own meaning. Jean-Paul Sartre likened freedom to condemnation because of this responsibility. It assumes a struggle against apathy and hopelessness as the burden required to find something that keeps each of us going in this life. While the thought of being condemned assumes a negative connotation; maybe it can be a choice of whether or not it is so. Maybe this freedom can be opportunistic and even hopeful. Maybe it means though we will struggle to find meaning we can enjoy the mere fact that we are able to do so. 

Understanding Authenticity

In addition to freedom the concept of authenticity in existentialist terms is difficult to pin down because it is inherently subjective. Only we can know what is authentic to ourselves - no one else. In this way there are no further definitions or guideposts for what authenticity means or may look like to each of us. It is more a ‘know it when we experience it’ type of achievement. However if we pull in this concept of freedom again; this means that no one can therefore take away whatever may be our authentic pursuits. No one can deny to us that what we choose to do is any less meaningful than their choices. Their reasonings can never prove their expectations for your life are more true or valid than your own. Such responsibility proves challenging and invites struggle, yes; but so too does it invite power, independence, and agency which are values of their own. 

Anxiety About Responsibility

All of this freedom and implicated need to pursue purpose or meaning in our lives comes with a well known anxiety: an overwhelm about the possibilities, a fear of getting it wrong, and dread about the effort needed to go anywhere or do anything. Existentialism embraces this anxiety as it is in itself the natural consequence of freedom. To hold this anxiety about the unknown is to prove we have the freedom to explore it. It is then this exploration that can give us hope. The opportunity to explore is what makes this philosophical orientation not a matter of dealing with inevitable meaninglessness but finding ourselves in the pursuit of meaning. There are gems to be found in the form of relationships, careers, artistic expression, scientific inquiry, education, and on and on. Not only are they out there but we each have our own unique gem or set of them to be made that fulfill the existential purpose. 
Even then maybe this anxiety will be a consistent travelling companion for us.

In such case, we can deny it, or avoid it, or be disgusted by it; or we can remember that it is the feeling of freedom. It can be excitement like butterflies in our stomach rather than the sinking of our hearts. From there we can learn to harness it for motivation or differentiate it from more negative forms of anxiety that cause functional impairments in our lives. From the psychotherapy point of view, this ability to differentiate types of anxiety can allow for more efficient and intentional techniques for resolution. In the event our anxiety does stem from this existential unknown, then we can direct our energy toward finding that purpose to resolve it to a degree. If the anxiety is created by other means then we can look towards approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy to more concretely make in-the-moment adjustments or EMDR to resolve trauma, or any number of other modalities that connect with our specific lived experiences. 

Meaning’s Antidote to Hopelessness

Hopelessness renders a feeling that nothing is worth doing because it will not amount to or mean anything. The question then is to truly understand what we are trying to express when we want something to be meaningful. Existentialism teaches us that we can create meaning, we can have it by pursuing it. Does this not then reduce hopelessness to simply holding ourselves back from reaching a purposeful and meaningful life by convincing us that the step right before it is the inevitable destination? The better question is are we willing to accept hopefulness? Are we willing to accept that hope, meaning, purpose; all come with the added baggage of freedom, anxiety, and unknown. If we can accept that, then we can let go of hopelessness and fortify ourselves for the next step on our journey. It becomes a decision of what you want to be afflicted by in some sense. Do we choose the affliction of hopelessness or condemnation of freedom? That is a decision that each of us have to make. 

Existentialism and Hopelessness

Analyzing, understanding, and putting into practice existentialist ideals is a complex and often lifelong endeavor. This post simply cannot do justice to the incredible individuals who have toiled over such ideals nor describe their meaning as eloquently. Ultimately, the idea is to provide some background and potentially inspire further thought or educational inquiry for yourself towards a philosophical orientation that may be supportive of your own mental health. 

At RAFT Counseling, we want to help support you in processing your life experiences and creating a plan for achieving your goals while maintaining your mental health. Though we are not all experts in existentialism we understand the challenges of hopelessness and want to walk with you on your journey toward meaning and purpose. If you or a loved one is looking for help dealing with such themes and would find benefit from adding therapeutic mental health services into your toolset for dealing with life’s challenges simply visit our website or contact us to get connected and on the path towards wellness.

References for Further Reading

• Dostoyevsky, F. (2001). Notes from the Underground. IndyPublish.com.
• CrashCourse. (2016, June 6). Existentialism: Crash course Philosophy #16 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaDvRdLMkHs
• Existentialism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). (2023, January 6). https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/#AnxiChoi
• Sartre, S. (2016b). Being and nothingness.