Existentialism is all about… How does one cope with an unfathomable universe?
That’s it! No more than that! But it goes to the soul.
It is very much an individualized code. How one copes with an unfathomable universe is different for everyone. And as such it must be respected.
But how did Existentialism get started. How did it earn the right to be spelled with a capital letter?
It was World War 1.
Before that the American Civil War introduced weaponry that made frontal assaults impossible. It is said that General Ulysses S Grant fought the Confederate army by… Left Flank… Left Flank… We have seen photographs of large fields filled with wounded soldiers, both Confederate and Union.
But it was also very gory as well.
World War 1 things were much worse. Trench warfare was the result. Opposing armies would be dug in and separated from one another by a no man’s land.
World War II tanks were brought in for a specific purpose, breaking through entrenchments. It made warfare civilized again… Think about the absurdity of that sentence for a while… ugh!
What was beginning to foment in Europe just before WW1 was a feeling of nationalism amongst citizens of each country. No longer did people hold allegiance to the monarchy but more toward their country. Historians typically say failing monarchies together with a feeling of nationalism led to WW1.
In another setting we will talk about social evolution but in this setting, we have the setup for the Ambulance drivers of WW1.
These where people were caught up in that spirit of contributing to the war effort, nationalism remember, but they were men of the arts and letters, intellectuals not soldiers. What role could they play to defend their country?… Ambulance drivers of course, transporting the wounded to and from the battlefields to the hospitals.
I will just say what do you think a machine gun firing over 200 rounds per minute can do to a human body? Not to mention the grossly unsanitary conditions of the trenches themselves. Enough said.
The writers and thinkers in these ambulances began to ponder how the human mind copes with horrific circumstances.
When existentialists say… all soldiers sleeping in trenches at night are NOT praying to God… they are emphasizing the idea that individuals create their own meaning and values in life, rather than relying on external sources such as religion. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that focuses on individual freedom, choice, and responsibility.
In the context of soldiers in trenches, this statement suggests that each soldier may have a unique way of finding meaning or coping with their situation. Some may turn to religion and prayer, while others might rely on personal beliefs, philosophies, or inner strength. Existentialists would argue that it is up to everyone to determine what gives their life meaning, especially in the face of difficult and life-threatening circumstances.
I could mention some of the men like Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camu and others who played a big part of the Existentialist movement. Earnest Hemmingway was also one of these ambulance drivers.
One of Hemingway’s book titles…For Whom the Bell Tolls… comes from a meditation by John Donne, a 17th-century English poet and cleric. The meditation reflects on the interconnectedness of humanity, suggesting that the tolling of a funeral bell for one person is a reminder of our shared human mortality.
Existentialism is a very rich topic; you can Google it or use AI… I will get this topic in EDUCATION later… if you so desire.
I want to leave the viewer with one more thing…
There are many, many ways Existentialism can vary. One Existential theory is dadaism, everything is dada… as in baby talk meaning nothing.
The foundation of the television show… Seinfeld…through the genius of Larry David was based on nothing.
The takeaway is, to everyone there exists a unique Existential view of the unfathomable universe. It just took WW1 to realize this key to the universe.