What is Mormon Existentialism II.

I began this blog with a rather naïve understanding of just what Existentialism is in all facets of the worldly that questions the being of a non-spiritual existence and turns away from that which cannot be seen or proven. I discovered with dread how pervasive and noxious it is today. But this proved a great challenge and an opportunity as I have discovered that a philosophy, based on the same theoretical structure, bearing the same concerns in mind, when grounded not on the arbitrary whims of the world and the natural man but on the LDS Gospel of Jesus Christ, is a thing to rejoice in. I wrote a prior entry, “What is Mormon Existentialism?” but as I am much farther along in my grounding, my learning and my spiritual self I would like to write a follow up to this very important post, a part II, to gather the essentials of what has been gleaned along this journey.

Existentialism holds that the individual is the source for interpretation of existence and is essentially not able to make substantial judgments on reality. The Mormon Existentialist also believes in the individual but believes in the Spirit, the guiding hand of the Lord, the relationship with Heavenly Father through prayer, living prophets, the scriptures and revelation. The Latter-day Saint is never want for guidance in life.

A core philosophy for the Existentialist is “Existence Precedes Essence.” This pertains to the meaning gained by the individual as it is accumulated by life experience alone. For the Mormon Existentialist, we believe “Essence Precedes Existence!” We came to earth with a spirit well prepared, sent from God the Father knowing what lay ahead and chose and accepted the life that would await us. We are sons and daughters of God the Father and this essence alone is enough to fill the soul of the Mormon Existentialist with a divine essence, for time and eternity.

The Existentialist rationalizes a view of the world called “the absurd.” There are other terms used such as “the they,” and “the other.” These solipsistic self-serving labels acknowledge the authenticity of the self while discrediting all others. If only two Existentialists are to have this same view this negates the entire principle. The Mormon Existentialist, even though to him or her the “world” is to be transcended and existence seen with an eternal lens, has a humanitarian belief and shares the God-like view of the worth of souls.

A condition of the Existentialist is the condition of angst, which literally means fear. But unlike a rational fear, angst is a fear that acknowledges the reality of agency and the liberty to act while all in existence is nothing. This kind of thinking is incomprehensible to the Mormon Existentialist who embraces agency as the primal gift of life and uses it to its fullest benefit, for the greatest good, and with the opposite of nothing- with a knowledge of the Gospel and a sure faith in the Plan of Salvation. Two similar concepts could not be farther disparaging.

Finally, to conclude this brief discourse, the Existentialist purports the condition of Existential Nihilism, which claims that life is without meaning or intrinsic value. From such thinking, begun in the 19th century by Friedrich Nietzsche, such anxieties have only gravitated in the world, a world of little faith where natural man is a questioning and doubting being which finds that angst, despair and nihilism have a tendency to grow and diffuse till we see the vile effects on humanity in all aspects of life… from the media to daily discourse. It is the Mormon Existentialist who is far from nihilism and sees this existence as one of truth and beauty and lives for today and for an eternity of joy and possibility.

Neither doubt, despair, angst or nihilism are to be seen on the faces of the Latter-day Saint but instead the light of Christ which is real and which amounts to a life of happiness and blessings beyond measure. Both types of Existentialism address the same concerns and I am grateful that I am happily and securely grounded in the latter instead of miserably stumbling on the rocky and thorny foundation of the former.

Quality vs. Quantity: The Material World

In a world that seems to be decaying from want of the new, a world that seems to be diseased by greed and the lust for materialism, for a world putrefying by falsehood where nothing seems to be real, bit by bit the substance of life is being dematerialized and systematized into a system of connectivity. This connectivity does not spare the individual whose own self is slowly seeped away as each has their own “reality show” on social media and one’s life has no privacy, no dignity and the value of its sanctity is minimized as it too is subsumed into a virtual world. 

It becomes incredibly difficult to measure quality vs. quantity in a world such as this. The world would like to think that the two are synonymous. The world would like to think that the latest phenomenon that cost the most money equals that of the greatest quality. Individuals who invest into “the beauty myth” spend untold dollars to fight signs of aging, body reconstruction, and countless amounts on excessive living only try to fit a mold that is itself a reconstruction. 

Materialism is an obsession in society and what is current and popular the masses will go to great lengths, even illegal, to attain that which will soon be obsolete. As Latter-Day Saints, we can see very clearly through this beauty myth, through the lust of materialism and excess, through the must-have technologies that society did very well without not long ago. We can ask ourselves, “What is the eternal value of this item?” “Will I expect to see this item in the eternities?” If the question has to be asked the answer is most assuredly no. 

We most certainly will not see televisions, cars, iPhones or iPads, computers, fads, trends and gluttonous living in the eternities, these items are measured in quantity and these things are of mortality and are worldly. When we consider how to best invest time, with loved ones, to attend the temple to seek truth, to develop our relationship with Heavenly Father through prayer, to utilize the ubiquitous power of the atonement in our lives, to gain spiritual and temporal knowledge, to develop a spirit of service, charity, honor, integrity, and develop our personal character through acts of righteousness, we Latter-Day saints with an eternal perspective can clearly see these as principles not of quantity but of quality and this quality is eternal. 

There are infinite choices to be made on a momentary to momentary basis and if we decide to make choices bearing in mind the quality of the choice that is everlasting for ourselves and our loved ones opposed to the quantity of the choice, for the faithful Latter-Day Saint, it is clear that the latter, like everything else about the world, is temporary, fleeting, and an illusion to lead us from the path of righteousness, the true one which will lead us back to Heavenly Father.