Those who suffer from existential emptiness do not find meaning in life.
Existential emptiness is a feeling that people have in certain contexts. For philosophers, this idea is part of the human condition since it is inherent to people's life experience.
Before moving forward, we must consider that emptiness is a concept that comes from the Latin word vacīvus . The term refers to that which lacks content . Existential , for its part, is an adjective linked to the action of existing (being, possessing life, belonging to reality).
A human being experiences an existential void when he or she cannot find meaning in his or her life . In this way, he feels alienated. Existential emptiness can lead to the development of depression and other psychological disorders.
Characteristics of existential emptiness
The person with existential emptiness is frequently bored, pessimistic and suffers from apathy . He does not find anything that generates enthusiasm or that provokes joy: on the contrary, he feels that there is no worthwhile goal.
It is important to keep in mind that, in certain situations, it is normal for a subject to feel a void. This happens, for example, when you move or when you experience the death of a family member. If this feeling of emptiness extends over time , we can speak of an existential void because the person failed to “fill” that space with another motivation or emotion.
The existential emptiness implies great anguish.
How to overcome it
It is considered that existential emptiness has become a contemporary evil since many people suffer from it. And we live in a society where there are numerous situations that can cause it, such as the stressful pace of life that takes place in cities, the high levels of crime, the fact that society believes that the only happiness is being successful. and respected with a large bank account, who does not have time to enjoy loved ones and hobbies….
In order to be able to put aside that feeling of existential emptiness, you can resort to endless tools and undertake numerous actions, among which we can highlight the following:
- Set new goals in life, because that will awaken your energy and enthusiasm, the desire to move forward.
- Know how to accept the reality that exists.
- Find more time to be able to do everything you want and like.
- Reflect on all the good and positive things you have in life.
- Try to find the cause of the problem in order to provide a solution or, at least, to be able to assimilate it in the correct way.
- Stop comparing yourself to other people.
- Establish your own standards and not be pressured by the rules imposed by society.
- Ask for help if considered necessary.
Different views on the existential void
Another way to leave this emptiness behind can be to rely on the well-known method of the Swedish philosopher Peter Wessel , which is called “The Last Messiah” and which is based on eliminating any negative thoughts, distracting yourself, carrying out creative activities...
Another aspect to consider is that emptiness is not interpreted in the same way in Western culture and Eastern culture . While, for the Western world, emptiness is linked to depression, for the Eastern world it can be associated with a higher state where the human being feels fulfilled: there is nothing that disturbs him.