Good morning!

Happy Tuesday everyone. I know… I’ve been slacking on the Mondays recently. Sometimes Chef Ricky just needs a little rest. But I’ll try and do better for you all.

This week is about living existentially. Many people see existentialism as a more abstract line of thought than something like Stoicism, and maybe it is. But there is still practicality to it. We’re going to dive into that this week. First up is Jean-Paul Sartre.

Today, we’re going to talk about the link between responsibility and freedom. Burning that off, we’re going to do the Responsibility Check. Wrapping up, we’re going to take a look at one of Sartre’s most famous quotes.

Have a seat, Thought Breakfast is (finally) served!

People often talk about the idea of freedom. Whether it’s freedom under your government or from your family, people associate it with things like independence, possibility, self-expression, and limitlessness. However, the existentialists knew freedom becomes uncomfortable very quickly. That’s when responsibility appears.

Sartre argues that human beings are “condemned to be free.” Even inaction is a form of choice. What that means is that although we have free will, we’re still condemned to choose through every action or inaction. We choose through action, avoidance, habit, and even silence. Those choices have to be made responsibly, and refusing to decide still shapes a life just as much as agreeing to.

People often hide behind excuses like circumstance, expectation, fear, or basic routine. We tell ourselves things like “I have to” or “I can’t.” Now, sometimes these pressures can be very real. But existentialism pushes us to recognize our participation in our own lives. Excuses can become ways of avoiding our own freedom!

Freedom means accepting authorship over your life. That creates immediate pressure because now your choices matter, the consequences matter, and your identity becomes self-created. Sartre believes anxiety appears because deep down, we already recognize our responsibility. In the end, existential anxiety comes from realizing that your life is partly in your hands.

Ask yourself:

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” — Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism and Human Emotions

Sartre is pointing out that freedom is much heavier than we usually imagine it to be. We often want freedom without responsibility, but Sartre argues that the two are inseparable. Once we realize that our actions, habits, and decisions are shaping our lives, excuses become harder to hide behind. That responsibility can feel overwhelming, but it also means that meaning is not something we passively wait for. Meaning is something we actively create through the way we choose to live.

Munch on that for today. Have a great day, and come back tomorrow for another steaming hot plate of Thought Breakfast!

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Remember to stay mindful, smell the flowers, and take it easy.

Chef Ricky - Thought Breakfast