Existentialist crisis?

Question:

Existentialist crisis?

i think i may be in the throes of a kinda early onset midlife/existentialist crisis (and im not even 22), who am I , how can I be happy, what am i doing here, is my existence meaningful, what is the purpose of my conciousness? So any opinions guys!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: While my answer may sound somewhat lighthearted and even flippant, please believe me when I say it is not designed to belittle you or your current crisis. I say that because I can relate.

What you are going through is simply the difficult transition into being an adult. Your education is either done, or you are in the process of finishing it up. Societal pressures on you are now demanding that you settle down and start making important life choices like settling on what you want to be when you grow up, finding a partner with whom to share your life, and basically deciding on what kind of path you intend to follow. While it may, indeed, be existential, it is not an early onset midlife crisis. It's just the crap you have to deal with when you stop being a kid and start looking at a life time of paying taxes and mortgages and insurance premiums and visiting the dentist twice a year so you don't lose your teeth. The reason you are thinking about those big life questions is because that's part of your life's work. I don't know anyone who gets the answers right away--it's more of an ongoing process of learning and making decisions.

An existential crisis actually sounds kind of pleasant. You could simply retire to a cafe and drink coffee and smoke French cigarettes and write in a journal all day, or read and discuss Sartre and wear a beret, but I advise against it. It's too pleasant, and it would be easy to get stuck there.

The actual midlife crisis stuff doesn't start until you firmly commit to a path, pick a partner, buy a house, fill it with kids, and are over-extended on your bills. Then, and only then, do you actually have the midlife crisis. It stems from the fact that you look back and ask exactly the same existential questions, but you ask them in light of the decisions you made 30 years in the past. You begin to wonder if being an architect or plumber or grade school teacher was actually the wisest move. You begin to wonder if your choice of life partner was actually the wisest. You begin to worry about your retirement investment portfolio. And you begin to worry about when you are going to start needing Viagra. That's why I advise against emulating Sartre at a young age--you'll want to do that later, as it's cheaper than buying a red sportscar and considering divorcing your wife and trading her for a 22-year-old hottie.

The main questions you are asking yourself about your purpose in life are part of being human. I seriously doubt that you will get answers either out of the blue or as a result of deep thinking at your age, as they are questions most thinking people continue to ask repeatedly as they age. I think that they are a good litmus test for making sure you are on track to developing into a decent human being. When you stop asking the deep questions, it either means you are an idiot, or it means you are dead.

My advice to you is to muddle through as best as you can. You will, without a doubt, make some monumental mistakes. We all did, and we all continue to do so. The most important thing is to think about them and learn from them, rather than just sweeping them under the rug. And if you only take one thing from this answer, let it please be this: you have to become an adult, but you never have to become old or complacent. You are only as old as you are in your head, and if you can figure out how to stay young in your head, it won't bother you when the dentist informs you that you need to have extensive dental work done ;)

So be at peace, friend, and be well. I wish you all the best, and some calm and peace, too. You are actually heading into a great period of life--the 20s are great. Enjoy yourself. And remember to floss.

Bronwen