JADESS LORRAINE Z.

FUSIO

Reflection on – “Existence precedes essence” by Jean-Paul Sartre

The premise “existence precedes essence” by famous French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre,
opened my understanding of the basic principle of existentialism. The phrase gives profundity
that the true essence or importance of a thing, person, or one’s action is defined by its existence
or the mere fact of its being.
I would like to associate this proposition in the current COVID-19 pandemic that the nations
have been fighting. For instance, whether a community which has no case of COVID-19 over the
past several months remains so really depends on the movement and actions of the people living
in it, and the safety protocols and health measures implemented. If one day, an asymptomatic,
non-native individual visits and interacts with the residents of the place, then this will pose
greater risk, endangering the whole community to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The carrier
of the virus and the residents are unaware of the possible impact and consequences this will
bring, either positive or negative, to the society. This scenario subsequently shows that there is
no abstract nature that one is destined to fill. Instead, each of us simply is in the world; the
actions and choices we make, and what we will become, are entirely up to us. Being human
means having the capacity to create one’s essence in time. Since the choices we make are the
ones we deem best, they should constitute a proposal for what any human being is ought to be. In
Sartre’s view, the inescapable condition of human life is the requirement of choosing something
and accepting the responsibility for the consequences.