"Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth."

--Jean-Paul Sartre 1905-1980

Jean-Paul Sartre was an Existential Philosopher who believed that existence precedes essence and that we are responsible for who we become as people.

Existentialism--philosophy has to begin with  Human Subjectivity.

Existence Precedes Essence

Sartre believes that there is no 'meaning of life' that we are going to find. That we are responsible for giving our lives its meaning.

"Life has no meaning a priori...It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose."
                                           --Jean-Paul Sartre

 We were given the example of a paper-cutter. The paper-cutter is the essence and the something to cut paper is the existence.

We Are Who We Are

We are responsible for who we are and what we become.
Sartre claims we are choosing "man" with

Authentic choices where we are aware of our consequences.
Self-Deception is without thought and understanding of the outcome.

At the beginning of my work at FVHA my decisions were Self-deceptive as my only reason in going was a means to an end. I saw it as an obstacle to overcome to attain my goal. As my time progressed my choices became more Authentic as I became more aware of the results of my time volunteering.

Condemned to Freedom

Sartre has told us that we have to make a choice, and that our choices affect the world. That those choices are based on what we believe the world should be.

My time at Fox Valley Human Association could be viewed as making a choice to create a positive impact on the world.

"We are the choices we make."
                             --Sartre