Toni was researching on existentialism for her philosophy class when she came across http://garfieldminusgarfield.net.

Who knew that Jon would be this sad- lonely kind of sad and creepy kind of sad- without Garfield?

I could only recall so much from my own philo class so I read a little on existentialism. (This is probably why I’m online so much; one thing always leads to another.) Quoting the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

Sartre’s slogan — “existence precedes essence” — may serve to introduce what is most distinctive of existentialism, namely, the idea that no general, non-formal account of what it means to be human can be given, since that meaning is decided in and through existing itself. Existence is “self-making-in-a-situation” (Fackenheim 1961:37). In contrast to other entities, whose essential properties are fixed by the kind of entities they are, what is essential to a human being — what makes her who she is — is not fixed by her type but by what she makes of herself, who she becomes.The fundamental contribution of existential thought lies in the idea that one’s identity is constituted neither by nature nor by culture, since to “exist” is precisely to constitute such an identity.

I was a bit surprised to find that I subscribe to the existentialist point of view. For my first article for the school paper, I wrote a summary of my life’s philosophies. I unknowingly wrote an existentialist piece.

I am downright floored to realize that my favorite movies, books, anime, band, songs… almost everything I like has overt or underlying existentialist themes. Now I understand why Neon Genesis Evangelion, Switchfoot, Unwritten, RENT, etc appeal to me.

It’s also funny to realize that this persistent, pervading nameless dread, this causeless depression that gets to me every so often, may be existential angst. I remember one particular episode of existential angst I had as a child, the accompanying derealization being the most vivid in my memory.

My friends know how I’m struggling with organized religion. Despite this, I hold on to my faith. I have long realized that it is what keeps me sane. It’s what keeps me from being consumed by my own neuroses (kaya wag kayo matakot, di pa naman ako baliw. lol)

Wow. Garfield just made me realize that I am a theistic existentialist.

EDIT:

Fruityoaty:
What I also realized after reading your blog post is… yup, you’re definitely a university student. :-P

What I mean is… mix one Uni student + Philosophy 101 course + beer + other Phi 101 pals… and you end up talking about the… existentialist meaning of a spoon.

So true. haha.