Part 3 and 4

In part 3 and 4, David Banach talk about how Existentialist view happiness and how to have absolute freedom.

People seek happiness in many different ways, some from clothes and some from food. However, Existentialist believes that true happiness is found internally not from an external source:"...one must lose the promise if external value, but they find a more real happiness, one that cannot be taken away by the external forces beyond their control." One must not depend on materials to be truly happy. External values can always be taken away therefore we will not be truly happy. However, I feel that all humans are materialistic but just on different level with different things. Is wanting an external always bad? Does food count as an external source?

One of the line from the lecture that really struck me was: “Our lives is a series of meaningless actions culminating in death, with no possibility of external justification." Basically this quote talks about how life is meaningless because we are all going to die. I totally disagree with this statement. In an lifetime one can change so much. If Obama thought that life would be meaningless and that there is no point of life would he be able to become the first black president? Why do we need happiness if we are all just going to die? Can one be happy when all that’s on its mind is death?

In order to have absolute freedom one must think of everyone as equal. Existentialist believes that when one is controlling another then the person is not really free. When one makes someone its slave then the person itself turns into an object. But can we really see everyone as equal? Can we look at the person next to us and say that we are exactly the same?

Overall, I feel that the way the Banach view life very different than the way i view it. I think this would help me look deeper into the question what is the meaning of life.