My feeling about the existential stuff can best be summed up with [an] experience I had in the Army when about the only General I ever saw was touring our top secret facility in Germany where we did electronic eavesdropping on the various Commie Countries to the East. He stopped to talk to once of our men working a multiple radio intercept position inside a room tucked into the back of a building, free standing inside and old Luftwaffe hanger. He said, "Son, where are you from?" and the reply was, "Texas, Sir!" and then the General said, "Anything I can do to help you?" At that time the Texan took off his headset, we did not have to come to attention because we were supposed to keep working, the Texan stood up and said very clearly and kind of loud, "Sir, Existentialism, Sir I just don’t get it!"
Texans don't get it
The "NewNeo" blog continues to amuse, particularly the comments section. Commenter OldTexan weighs in on the host's thoughts about the loss of meaning of terms like exponential and existential:
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6 comments:
Did Commie-supporting Jean Paul Sarte invent Existentialism as a tool to demoralize the US Armed Forces?
No, just Western Civilisation in general.
Kierkegaard had a Christian version that was moderately convincing, but eventually just sank under the waves. Hybrids attempting to resolve the conflict between Christianity and whatever modern thought is in fashion usually do.
Given how the terms are used, abused, and mis-applied, I'm with the radio man.
To me, an existential crisis means someone or something is trying to terminate my existence. But I'm a literalist at times.
LittleRed1
It's not my favorite philosophy to be sure, but at least it doesn't go as far as the nihilists. You can still get a kind of teleology out of it, but only after you've put enough work in to developing your essence.
That comment could only have come from a MI soldier. Ask me how I know.
All right, I’ll bite. How do you know?
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