Intro. To Religion
10 November, 2004
Modes of Existence
When encountered with various experiences in life, a person is given the choice of how he or she will go about interpreting the experiences. Such interpretations are directly related to that individual's perception of life and its meaning, his or her mode of existence. This mode of existence provides the person with a reason to live, and, above all, dictates his or way of living within the world. Aesthetic existence and ethical existence are two such modes of existence. Although each of these provides the individual with some way of conducting his or herself in the world, neither provides the best interpretation of worldly experience, nor the best way of living.
The aesthetic mode of existence is centered around pleasing the self. Here, the pleasures are merely superficial and sensual. There is little to no thought involved in making decisions and taking action in the aesthetic individual's life. Instead, the emphasis is placed upon what is physically pleasing at the current moment. These types of people are often described as living for the moment. They frequently seek new thrills in order to remain in a constant state of enjoyment. This makes for a very frivolous and random character type. There is no direction or real movement in the aesthetic life. Instead, the aesthetic person seems to drift from pleasurable experience to the next. There is nothing meaningful in which to orient his or her place in existence. In other words, at the center of the aesthetic world, there lies nothing.
Certain characteristics of aesthetic existence can easily be seen in the char ...