Remember The Word "philosopher"in PTE test? Here is one.

Last night while I was reading about Sartre, his witty words instantly widened my sleepy eyes. For a brief introduction to this great philosopher, check out this excerpt from Wikipedia.

Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre ( French; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism and phenomenology, and one of the leading figures in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. His work has also influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies, and continues to influence these disciplines.

Well, of course, while we are torn between various choices, real philosophers ponder over more meaningful questions, although often times they do not have answers. These crazy people invariably challenge us --the common herds -- to such an extent that we feel the necessity to press the 『pause』 button before we hassle.

Throughout the entire history of philosophy, philosophers have sought to discover what man is -- or what human nature is. But Sartre believed that man has no such 『eternal nature』 to fall back on: It is therefore useless to demand to improvise.

「We are like actors dragged onto the stage without having learned our lines, with no script and no prompter to whisper stage directions to us. We must decide for ourselves how to live.」

「Man is condemned to be free, because he has not created himself -- and is nevertheless free. Because having once been hurled into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.」

Sartre believes that life must have meaning. It is an imperative. But it is ourselves who must create this meaning in our own lives. To exist is to create your own life. He also proved that consciousness in itself is nothing until is has perceived something. Because consciousness is always conscious of something. What a logic!

Obviously it is wrong to conclude that Sartre is a completely right. We do not want to haste to any conclusions. What Sartre wanted from us is to some glittering thinking.

Now, would you stop to think about Sartre and the greater question on the meaning of life?