Originally published more than fifty years ago, The Courage to Be has become a classic of twentieth-century religious and philosophical thought. The great Christian existentialist thinker Paul Tillich describes the dilemma of modern humanity and points a way to the conquest of the problem of anxiety. So how do you personally conquer this problem?
God has always been my source of inspiration. When I am anxious, I meditate on the word of God and possibly take a rest.
Hello,
According to Alain de Button, "the largest part of what we call ‘personality’ is determined by how we’ve opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness.” Anxieties arise because we do not view the world, people , and even ourselves as worthy of love. the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, focusing on the moral consequences of existentialist thought maintains that feelings of emptiness and meaninglessness may precipitate anxiety which results in one's self-negation and despair. Being a consequence of moral disintegration, anxiety can produce a total lack of faith in ourselves, which greatly influences our courage to be and may even lead to suicidal attempts because it anchors on despair. As such, for the existentialist individual, the courage to be serves as an impulse to find a safe exit to an authentic and self-affirming life resisting against the perpetual feelings of nonbeing, meaninglessness, and despair.
Best regards,
R. Biria
By respecting my goals which are to help others and build a better life for myself.
Vilemar
Dear All,
I try to be honest and so to follow the right way. This is enough support to have courage. Some needs the method written in the wonderful wizard of Oz by Frank Baum.
The concept of God as preceeding Being is just a pale copy from Origines and Hermes Trismegistus. To be honest, I despise such approaches, that, still present in the contemporary culture, give rise to abherrations such as holistic rubbish.
Well Prof !!!! I am donkey years old and still unable to conquer !!! I think when I was a teenager I was better never worrying now that has also set in !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nope , God can't help me .
Real issues I can't , I regret at times :(
Prayer has been the secret medicine for me. Knowing that God cares for me and is ready to hold my hand through thin and thick moments is a great source of motivation to keep on going no matter what.
I would start by digging out the roots to the question.
The deep waters that lie between the finite and the infinite are what we generally perceive as the state of being. The awareness of one’s vulnerability in living a finite (known) life within the context of an infinite (unknown) amount of possibilities as to what was before or will be after that same state of being, is what leads, in my estimation, to that sense of fear from which the need for ‘courage’ stems.
The irony is that without that same element of uncertainty to our day, our being would be a state of predictable boredom, which would suggest that, to some extent, the ‘unknown’ element is essential to life.
Since that awareness (and the concomitant fear) cannot be done away with, (unless consciously omitted, which I believe would aggravate the situation), it only remains for it to be dealt with, which can only be so done from a place of strength. It therefore seems that the ‘courage to be’ is dependent on the virtue or virtues of being itself, wherefrom one derives his or her strength of character.
This obviously begs the question: how would we measure such virtues?
Though the lists could be endless, the one trait I would identify is responsibility, especially in the regard of others, for the sense of duty to another is not easily surpassed in the inherent value it lends to the individual, making his or her state of being not only durable, but necessary.
That is to say when one’s state of being is serving some higher aim other than solely perpetuating that same state, the ‘courage to be’ arises of itself and need not be sought.
The alternative (not finding the courage to be), isn't much of an option. So, "fish, or cut bait", as my great-grandfather used to say.
It's a constant struggle, and I still searching for the answer.
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