Question: What Causes Existential Angst?
It is the single minded quest to make all of this make sense, or have a meaning.
I fought this for many years. It made me a spiritual seeker, existentialist, physics student, depressive, artist/musician philosopher, and more. I tried on all of these hats. I met teachers, priests, psychologists, physicist, counselors, monks, scholars - ABSOLUTELY sure that the answers I sought would be concrete ideas. I read extensively looking for clues - piecing together my own theory that I was sure would comfort me in a hollow effort to “heal” this separateness I felt. It drove me to edge of my sanity. And then I stopped. I gave up. I kept up my meditation sporadically, and did some half hearted Buddhist related practices.
A number of years after that I had a moment where I got to see outside of the separateness of “things” as we see them, time as we know it, and the space that we are convinced separates it all and know that the idea that it is anything but “one” is illusory.
This understanding exists in many religious and nonreligious traditions, and is the only “cure” for this angst that I am aware of. It’s even tucked way in many deist religions if you know what you are looking for.
Ideas, self, etc. are not a path to understanding. Exploring the space between thoughts IS.
I fought this for many years. It made me a spiritual seeker, existentialist, physics student, depressive, artist/musician philosopher, and more. I tried on all of these hats. I met teachers, priests, psychologists, physicist, counselors, monks, scholars - ABSOLUTELY sure that the answers I sought would be concrete ideas. I read extensively looking for clues - piecing together my own theory that I was sure would comfort me in a hollow effort to “heal” this separateness I felt. It drove me to edge of my sanity. And then I stopped. I gave up. I kept up my meditation sporadically, and did some half hearted Buddhist related practices.
A number of years after that I had a moment where I got to see outside of the separateness of “things” as we see them, time as we know it, and the space that we are convinced separates it all and know that the idea that it is anything but “one” is illusory.
This understanding exists in many religious and nonreligious traditions, and is the only “cure” for this angst that I am aware of. It’s even tucked way in many deist religions if you know what you are looking for.
Ideas, self, etc. are not a path to understanding. Exploring the space between thoughts IS.
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