How Eckhart Tolle Helped Me Overcome the Fear of Death
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.” — Eckhart Tolle
Since the dawn of my counselling career, no topic of psychology has continued to terrify, humble and excite me more than existentialism — the “philosophical theory or approach which emphasises the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of will”, according to Google.
It makes sense that we should fear the thought of being a “free agent”, capable of determining our own path in life because it places the responsibility of our wellbeing entirely upon us. We are individuals in an infinite universe, drops in a vast ocean. With so much freedom and choice, where do we begin? What should we do? What must we do? The Roman stoic Seneca said, “If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favourable.” Forget the port, how do we even find a boat?
Existentialism Chose Me. I Didn’t Get A Say
When I think about my childhood, I think about my trampoline. I spent hours and hours on that thing. This was the way it was in the summer. Only the sun would draw the curtain and tell us to stop playing. Summers, for my friend Bryce and I, were…
