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Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality

Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality

R. Scott Webster
Copyright: © 2021 |Pages: 18
ISBN13: 9781799834328|ISBN10: 1799834328|EISBN13: 9781799834335
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-3432-8.ch086
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MLA

Webster, R. Scott. "Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality." Research Anthology on Rehabilitation Practices and Therapy, edited by Information Resources Management Association, IGI Global, 2021, pp. 1705-1722. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3432-8.ch086

APA

Webster, R. S. (2021). Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Research Anthology on Rehabilitation Practices and Therapy (pp. 1705-1722). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3432-8.ch086

Chicago

Webster, R. Scott. "Making the Unbearable Bearable through Existential Spirituality." In Research Anthology on Rehabilitation Practices and Therapy, edited by Information Resources Management Association, 1705-1722. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3432-8.ch086

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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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