I had no solid concept of the nature of life itself, and my beliefs were easily traced to formal education, trendy beliefs, and various other commercial productions which didn’t survive even mild scrutiny. I valued material success and recognition above all else, and financial goals stood-in for a real life purpose. My spirituality was the most homegrown aspect of my worldview, but it was young, impractical, and detached from the life I actually lived.
Existential alignment isn’t something that happens overnight; the process has consumed years of my life, spanning two decades so far. I didn’t learn it all in order; I reached conclusions independent of one another, amid a life often lived in spiritual and professional turmoil.
An existentially-aligned life is where every action you take corresponds in some way to a set of beliefs and values, furthering your purpose in life. You must have a solid understanding of what life is, why you’re here experiencing it, and derivative beliefs, values, and goals. When your worldview and actions are harmonized, one is existentially aligned and living with purpose.
The Existential Model below illustrates the interplay of my beliefs and my actions (Conceptual and Perceptual).
The foundation of the aligned existence is an understanding of what life is. If we don’t have an answer that stands up to scrutiny, then we must acknowledge that we do not know. And by extension, we are lost. When you admit that you are lost, you can start the search for an answer. But if you don’t admit that you are lost, then you are lost without even knowing it. It wasn’t until I was nearly 40 that I finally realized that I was lost here in life, despite a 20-year search for answers.
The search for and validation of a meaning of life will expose all of the inconsistencies in your worldview and behaviors, many of them uncomfortable. These are all opportunities for existential re-alignment, changing your values, goals, and ultimately behaviors.
Although I couldn’t concisely articulate what life was until later in life, my search for answers demanded some very challenging changes to my comfortable life. The moment I stopped responding was the moment I stopped moving toward existential alignment.
I contend that most people are lost without knowing it, focused on living practical lives based on worldly goals and survival. As a result their existential suffering is misunderstood and often suppressed with medication and therapy. The decision to live an aligned existence will not alleviate all pain, but it will ignite a sense of purpose that will allow us to understand the suffering of life.
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