Existence, Essence and when Hell is other people

Existence Precedes Essence & Bad Faith

"Existence precedes essence" is a fundamental idea in Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialism philosophy. It means that individuals are not defined by any inherent nature or purpose, but rather by the choices we make and the actions we take.

According to Sartre, human beings have complete freedom and responsibility for their own lives and must create their own meaning and values. This is in contrast to traditional philosophical views, which often hold that individuals have an inherent nature or purpose that determines their actions and choices. Essentially, the concept of "existence precedes essence" highlights the importance of individual freedom and responsibility in shaping one's own identity and purpose.

The idea of "existence precedes essence" is closely linked to Sartre's concept of "bad faith," which refers to the denial of one's own freedom and responsibility. When individuals act in bad faith, they try to escape their own freedom and responsibility by blaming external factors or by denying their own choices and actions.

Hell is other People

"Hell is other people" is a phrase from Jean-Paul Sartre's play "No Exit," in which the character Garcin utters the phrase in response to the realization that he is doomed to spend eternity in a room with two other people. The phrase has come to be widely recognized as a reference to the idea that other people can be a source of suffering or torment, either because of their actions or simply because of their presence. Sartre's play is a commentary on the human condition and the ways in which people interact with one another, and the phrase "hell is other people" captures the sense of frustration and despair that can arise in relationships with others.

Reflections on Jean Paul Sartre

While on one level, Sartre's philosophy may be a call to self-determination, and I could see some justice in some of his observations. But it was also very depressing to say the least, especially his comment “"Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance." It made our lives seem so meaningless and worthless. 

I just now finished working on a volunteer project for India Literacy Project. My job was translating their number filled field study reports into reader friendly web content.  (Link to writeup) The current initiative focuses on the educating the children of migrant workers in the brick kiln industry in a specific district in southern India covering some 100 kilns and 15000 families. It will be based on a successful model carried out in a neighboring district last year.

However, what I learnt about their lives was shocking and somewhat Dickensian. The workers stay inside the kilns for 5-7 months and work 12-14 hours a day including 7 hours at night. Given this, do they get any time to think about education for their children. Governmental education schemes exist, but they are too far away, or the teachers don’t like all the brick dust the kids bring, in addition to the kids being present only for 5 months in the school year.  So why push for their education right? So more often than not, these children are roaming around in a very unhealthy and dangerous brick kiln environment, babysitting each other, or becoming child labor, so that they can help their parents pay off the advance amounts borrowed from middlemen. So education models for these child would have to cover a number of issues including the continuity of education throughout the school year.

Which brought to mind the seasonal nature of agriculture in the US. Are there similar issues regarding the education of the children of these migrant agri workers?  I realized that I  know very little about them, other than what may have been mentioned in my school history books. Cesar Chavez himself was in and out of school many times wasn’t he? But he barely made it to half a page in my US history textbook.

The next thought was how to link these issues to statements made by Sartre which essentially says that we have the power to transform ourselves. How can  people caught in the perpetual cycle of poverty and illiteracy transform themselves. What is the existent reality of such folks? Or are they doomed, as Sartre proclaims, “Life begins on the other side of despair?”