Be nobody for yourself and everything for others.

Primary school was run by religious men.
Roman Catholic friars who lived in celibacy in a monastery nearby the school.
They were dressed in cassocks and had Latin names.
Head of school was Brother Fabianus.
Teacher of the 5th year was Brother Mansuetus.



Besides the regular teaching at this Primary school, there was also religion.
It consisted of the pupils having to learn the catechism.
A small book with questions and answers.



First question in the Roman Catholic catechism was:
For what reason are we on this planet?

The answer:
We are living on this planet to serve God.
And because of that to become happy here and in the afterlife.

Now that is very different from what we discovered yesterday the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard was saying.


Kierkegaard maintained that the individual has the sole responsibilities of giving one's own life meaning and living that life passionately and sincerely, in spite of many existential obstacles and distractions including despair, angst, absurdity, alienation and boredom.

If you want it easy in life, better be a Roman Catholic compared to an Existentialist.
A Roman Catholic is not wondering too much why to live.
And how to live.
Simply serve God and not only makes that happy in life, but it also guarantees a happy afterlife.
The religion offers the answers to existential questions.
Sit back, enjoy life and relax!

What Kierkegaard has to offer is the naked fact that you will be on your own in life.
No one to help you to be happy, like a Roman Catholic God or anybody.
You must try yourself to give meaning to your life and Kierkegaard not only has no guarantees for happiness to offer, but afterlife is not included either.
That means many questions to answer in life, hard work and tough experiences.

One of the other philosophers of existentialism was the German Friedrich Nietsche (1844-1900).


In his classic work "Also sprach Zarathustra" he wrote:
"God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?

This opinion comes close to what Bhudists think.
There is no God.
Except for the godliness inside yourself that needs to be celebrated, developed and practiced.



People like Nietsche and Kierkegaard have created a terrible mess in the Western world.
They took God away from many people.
And made many people believe that they could play God themselves.
To achieve meaning and happiness in life by only serving the ego as a god.

The fundamental principle that is lacking in existentialism is that true meaning of life and real happiness is never possible on your own.
The meaning of life and happiness can only be achieved through interaction with fellow human beings.
A Godless person bombarding himself into a God, as Nietsche advised, and pursuing the meaning of life and happiness only by himself, heads for misery.
Wealth and richness may result that may give comfort to the Nietschian but no fulfillment of the meaning of life nor happiness.
Besides of not being of much use for the community.

Kierkegaard and his followers have planted the seeds for a society in the West that consists now of a majority of extreme egoists.
Men and women believing they are God and wallowing in hedonism.
While they are greedy, close their eyes for the well being of others and have no limit to their materialism.

Hence, how to become godly?
Get rid of the ego first.
Be nobody for yourself and everything for others.



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