Deciphering the appropriate suffering to embrace and the appropriate suffering is a complex issue to solve. Embracing and accepting are two distinct mindsets and should be considered individually. Embracing requires action. Embracing suffering, by definition, requires voluntarily subjecting yourself to some level of suffering. Therefore, this suffering should be productive. Theconsequences of this embrace should be viewed as positive at some point in time. It should be healthy. Accepting suffering is part of Existentialist philosophy. The term Existentialism was adopted as a self-description by French playwright Jean-Paul Sartre and became identified with a cultural movement that flourished in Europe in the 1940s and 50s, although nineteenth-century philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche were viewed as the precursors to the movement (1). Existentialism does not deny the usefulness of basic categories such as physics, biology, psychology, and other sciences, nor does it deny the validity of moral values and categories such as intention, blame, responsibility, character, duty and virtue (1). Whilst these both illuminate the human condition, the light shone is not bright enough according to Existentialists. Authenticity is the missing ingredient.

Embracing suffering, by definition, requires voluntarily subjecting yourself to some level of suffering

Whilst the term was coined by Sartre, he drew many of his philosophical theory from German philosopher Martin Heidegger who’s 1927 publication Being and Time consisted of many themes that we now associate with Existentialism (1). Heidegger explored these issues, just as Sartre did, with the use of Edmund Husserl’s phenomenological method in which thelimitations of scientific thought were exposed further. One such limitation being that of defining consciousness (1). Science still has yet to provide an objective definition of what consciousness is. Philosophers have been attempting to define consciousness for hundreds of years. Husserl theorised consciousness as not based on scientific theories of mind but rather on transcadental theories of intentionality and meaning (1). Consciousness, according to Husserl, is our direct openness to the world, one that is conducted categorically instead of causally (1). Intentionality is the categorial framework in which the mind and world become compressible (1). Consciousness therefore is governed by meaning rather than metaphysical phenomena. While Husserl applied these ideas to sociology, logic and mathematics, he self-admittedly failed to apply these to aspects of being (1). Heidegger therefore took up this question of what it means for each individual to be, which according to many existentialists involves first becoming aware of the investigator of being: ourselves. The categories, according to Heidegger, that were passed down by the philosophical tradition for understanding a being who can consciously question his or her being, are insufficient thus he drew upon two relatively unknown (at the time) writers to shed light on thequestion of being itself: Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche (1).

Both Nietzsche and Kierkegaard took significant interest in the individual which up until their time of the nineteenth century was rare (1)…To be continued next week.

Keep On Struggling

Gregor

TV Programme I’m Enjoying - Louis Theroux Interviews

“Louis Theroux gets up close and personal with the UK's biggest stars in theway only he can” (2). I’ve only watched Theroux interview Dame Judi Dench so far but I found his interviewing techniques relaxed but poignant so I’ll definitely be continuing the series. Other guests include grime artist Stormzy and adventurer Bear Grylls.

Watch Louis Theroux Interviews on BBC iPlayer.

Film I Enjoyed - See How They Run

“In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered.” I loved this movie as it moved at a swift pace as it’s only 1 hour 38 minutes, it was filled with quick-witted jokes and it poked fun at the classic “who done it?” formula whilst being a “who done it?” itself.

Watch See How They Run in cinemas or via Disney Plus. Click below to watch the trailer.

WATCH HERE

Quote to Ponder

One of my "favorite failures," which was actually a collection of many smaller failures, was when my second book was rejected by 37 publishers. I remember running out of money and walking, depressed, down St. James Street in London, where I was living at the time. I looked up and saw a Barclays Bank and, without giving it much thought, I decided to walk in and asked to speak to the manager. I asked him for a loan, and even though I didn't have any assets, the banker whose name was lan Bell - gave it to me. It wasn't much, but it changed my life because it meant I could keep things together for a few more rejections, and after number 37, I finally got my book published. And I still send Ian Bell a holiday card every year. My mother taught me that failure is not the opposite of success but a steppingstone to success - Arianna Huffington

References

1) Crowell, Steven, "Existentialism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/existentialism/>.

2) BBC

3) See How They Run Image & Quote - IMDB

4) Twilight Zone Image - IGN