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Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality

Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality

R. Scott Webster
Copyright: © 2017 |Pages: 18
ISBN13: 9781522519553|ISBN10: 1522519556|EISBN13: 9781522519560
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-1955-3.ch004
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MLA

Webster, R. Scott. "Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality." Multiculturalism and the Convergence of Faith and Practical Wisdom in Modern Society, edited by Ana-Maria Pascal, IGI Global, 2017, pp. 81-98. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1955-3.ch004

APA

Webster, R. S. (2017). Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality. In A. Pascal (Ed.), Multiculturalism and the Convergence of Faith and Practical Wisdom in Modern Society (pp. 81-98). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1955-3.ch004

Chicago

Webster, R. Scott. "Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality." In Multiculturalism and the Convergence of Faith and Practical Wisdom in Modern Society, edited by Ana-Maria Pascal, 81-98. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1955-3.ch004

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Abstract

In this chapter the case is made that spirituality can indeed have a significant impact upon practical life. Existential spirituality refers to the way one gives meaning and purpose to one's life. The value of spirituality is best appreciated when one's life undergoes an existential crisis, particularly when a worldview, which was assumed to give sense to one's life, no longer has the legitimacy it once had. When a religious, traditional or customary doctrine or worldview loses its authority through an existential crisis, the individual often experiences nihilism. This can often make an experience of hardship quite unbearable because one's suffering is unable to reference any grand narrative or framework of meaning to give sense to one's situation. Using Kierkegaard's three stages of existence, it is argued that making one's spirituality more authentic by taking personal responsibility on an individual level, might be able to make unbearable experiences more bearable.

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