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Sartre And Identity Essay

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Sartre is more or less saying that our identity, what we perceive ourselves as and how we project it onto others, is a tabula rasa. A blank slate. The more decisions we make, as our life propels forward, the more it shapes us into who we are and will become. We are born as nothing and have the ability to define ourselves through a series of choices that is acquired through free will. With that being said, we are born, neither good nor evil. We have no predetermined disposition of who we are or will soon be.
Sartre’s view is that to have essences, we need first to exist. The view that is opposing that statement is saying we already have many paths established for us before we are born. The way we go about deciding which course to travel is …show more content…

Compared to other objects and life forms that inhabit this planet, they already have a purpose, we do not. We are free because of the choices we have to make in order to create a purpose.
When presented with a multitude of choices, it can become overwhelming to decide what to do. It is easier to pass the responsibility of making a decision on to someone else. In doing so, it relinquishes the burden that one would have had if forced to make a decision. I myself fall prey to becoming overwhelmed when people look to me for a decision. I am a very indecisive person, constantly going back and forth between the options that are given to me, all the while never being satisfied with what I pick.
As a kid, I wanted freedom from my parents. I’m not complaining about the joys of being my own person, but no one said how stressful being an adult is. I heard not one word on how no one really knows what they are doing. We all are making educated guesses on how to be a proper adult. Being at times is fun, the not so fun part is the amount of money it takes to not live on the street. Sometimes I want to sell all of my things and live in a car, but that will have a ton of responsibilities of its

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