Alone
Dostoyevsky said, "If God didn't exist
everything would be possible." Jean-Paul Sartre agreed with this, and continued, "Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."
(Jean-Paul Sartre / 1905-1980 / Existentialism and Humanism /1945)
(Jean-Paul Sartre / 1905-1980 / Existentialism and Humanism /1945)
Before both Dostoyevsky and Sartre, Korihor, a Book of Mormon "anti-Christ" outlined the existentialist and humanist philosophy:
"No man can know of anything which is to come." (Alma 30:13)
"Prophecies... are foolish traditions of your fathers." (Alma 30:14)
"Ye cannot know of things which ye do not see." (Alma 30:15)
"A remission of your sins... is the effect of a frenzied mind." (Alma 30:16)
"Every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature, and every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime." (Alma 30:17)
"When a man was dead, that was the end thereof." (Alma 30:18)
"I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God." (Alma 30:48)
"Prophecies... are foolish traditions of your fathers." (Alma 30:14)
"Ye cannot know of things which ye do not see." (Alma 30:15)
"A remission of your sins... is the effect of a frenzied mind." (Alma 30:16)
"Every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature, and every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime." (Alma 30:17)
"When a man was dead, that was the end thereof." (Alma 30:18)
"I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God." (Alma 30:48)
This passage is such a complete and concise treatise on existentialism that it would not be unreasonable to propose that Sartre, Niche, and Dostoyevsky plagiarized the Book of Mormon, taking the philosophy of Korihor as their own.
This reasoning can be distilled into one logical fallacy: "If I don't see, then you can't see."
However, like all counterfeit ideas, there is one part of the Humanist philosophy that is exactly correct: "Every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature.." Meaning that if one is rich, poor, educated or ignorant, it's NOT because some god made them that way, it's because of their own choices. Thus, "Man is condemned to be free..." However, the concept is even deeper than Sartre states. We are all free to choose to follow God, or not, depending on what we believe. And, "...he is responsible for everything he does." Since God gave us freedom, we become responsible, not just in the immediate sense, but in the Eternal as well. Since life is forever, we will be both here and in the hereafter, whatever we choose to be.
Agency
The ability to choose is called "agency." The Lord told Enoch about how we are given agency, "The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency." (Moses 7:32) First we are given knowledge, and then the ability to choose, because without knowledge there is no choice.
The choice we really have, though, is not such mundane things as how we fare in this life, but rather between good and evil, kingdoms, principalities, powers, and dominions. What we perceive is a tiny fraction of what exists. What we understand is as an infant understands the world of his parents. Eternity is huge, it's forever, it is inexplicable and must be experienced, and yet we wallow in our little worlds, knowing, but refusing to believe there is more.
Evil
The bottom-line of evil is "I want." All evil can be defined in terms of selfishness. I saw an interview with a man in prison for killing a woman while trying to steal her car. His reasoning was existential, "I just wanted her car, but she wouldn't give it to me so I had to kill her." He understood his choice to get what he wanted and she was in the way. This is the result of teaching our children "Desert freedom." Those who don't seek God simply aren't willing to give up the mundane, petty, little things they have. It would be like when your son turns sixteen and you offer him a car for his birthday, but the child only wants Legos. He can't see past his toys to have so much more freedom.
These choices we make are so important and we just flitter them away because we think this is freedom. Existentialist freedom is like bringing an infant into the desert and leaving him alone, telling him he is free to do whatever he wants. This is why Sartre said that the existentialist is "alone" and "forlorn." The ultimate consequence of evil, or selfishness, is isolation. When we seek our own selfish desires we are inherently separating ourselves from others. Sartre said, "Hell is other people." Indicating that it's the people around you, trying to get what they want who prevent you from getting what you want. This is hell. The cause is selfishness. The result is loneliness, separation, rejection, contention, and hatred. There is, however, another choice. We are free to choose the forlorn and bitter life of Sartre; or, we can choose Eternal life.
Good
To choose good is to make a connection with the Eternal. Peace, joy, comfort, love, hope, rest, happiness and all that is good is found in the bosom of our Father in Heaven. When we choose to seek Him we will find Him; this is the real choice we make every minute of every day. Some choose less, some more, and everything in between. In a word, the choice we have is between self and God; it is what we have now, or we can give up what we have for more. The path to Heaven must be followed exactly. Even slight deviations lead to other places. We can understand this in a University. Each student may be on a different track, but his path is set. He will not get a diploma unless he completes all of his course work. He cannot fail courses and receive a degree.
The result of good, or selflessness, is connection. We connect with God, our Creator, when we give our hearts to Him. We inherently know this. I was fascinated to watch the Star Trek movie where "V-GER" went through the Universe trying to connect with it's creator so it could upload all the information it had gathered. But after having so much information it was no longer content with just uploading, it wanted to join with and become one with the creator. The creator was NASA which sent out VoyaGER space probes to gather information about our Solar System in the 1970's. The story touched on a truth: true happiness will only come through our connection to our Creator -- God.
To choose good
The choice of good is the opposite of evil. It is to be un-selfish, selfless, giving, loving, kind, considerate, and serving. It is to "bless those who curse you." It is to "help those who spitefully use you." It is to forgive all wrongs done to you. It is to take in evil and give back good. It is to give up your wants in order fill the needs of others. This is so simple, so black-and-white, so night-and-day that even a child can understand. There is no gray area between good and evil. Good is unselfish. It leads to happiness.
The process of connecting with God is to connect with other people. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar." (1 John 4:20) We begin in our families. Children are taught by righteous parents how to love their siblings and those around them. They are taught to share, to forgive, to be kind, to wait your turn, and so forth. Parents demonstrate by sacrificing themselves, their wants, needs and desires. They give up their desires for sleep, food, and time in order to be with, teach, and love their children. The children know because the both hear the precept and see the example. They are then able to emulate and even build upon what they learn. This is why families are so important to society.
The key to all good is found in the paradox, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 10:39) When taken in the context of good and evil it makes perfect sense. If you choose to seek your own desires, you will lose what you really want that brings life, what makes you whole, complete, and happy -- a connection with God. Instead you will find that "Hell is other people." Whereas if you give up what you want and turn all your dreams, desires, and aspirations to God, following Jesus Christ into the depths of humility, doing only those things commanded by God, doing only His righteous will, you will be able to connect with Him, and all that exists in Eternity. You will have life, power, peace, joy and Eternal happiness. You will, in contrast to evil, find that Heaven is other people!
Our choice
Our society is at a turning point. "And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction..." (Mosiah 29:27) If we choose leaders that will lead us into evil, then we are evil (speaking as a group) and will find our lack of unity causes our downfall. Internal strife will lead to our destruction as a nation. We can choose good. We have the power. We can stand up for love and peace. We can be unselfish -- if we make the choice.
