Estrangement

es·trange ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-strnj)tr.v. es·tranged, es·trang·ing, es·trang·es
To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate.
To remove from an accustomed place or set of associations.

Synonyms: estrange, alienate, disaffect. These verbs refer to disruption of a bond of love, friendship, or loyalty. Estrange and alienate are often used with reference to two persons whose harmonious relationship has been replaced by hostility or indifference: Political disagreements led to quarrels that finally estranged the two friends. His persistent antagonism alienated his wife. Disaffect usually implies discontent, ill will, and disloyalty within the membership of a group: Colonists were disaffected by the royal governor's actions.

As I sit here listening to Iggy Pop's song "I'm Sick of You," my mind wanders to existentialist philosophy. Since this was the subject of my Master's thesis, you might automatically conclude this a case of "give a girl a hammer, and everything looks like a nail," but you'd be surprised how helpful the thoughts of the existentialists like Satre, Camus, Kierkegaard et al. are in finding meaning in the universe. Many of you are familiar with some of the basic tenents: existence preceeds essence, the subjectivity of value systems, pure being, etc.

What I have been giving much thought to lately is the existential idea of an individual being completely responsible for his or her choices. This sounds like common knowledge, but if you really think closely about the ramifications, it's a terrifying concept. Gone is the safety net that we use every day - blaming other people and situations for impacting our life in a way we don't like. The existentialists state that the individual consciousness is directly responsible for all of the choices he or she makes, regarless of the consequences. According to Sartre, to deny this responsibility is to be in "bad faith."

Another terrifying concept for me is the idea that we humans are condemned to be free. In other words, because we are directly responsible for our own actions and choices, we are condemned to be responsibile for these choices and the consequences they bring.

This brings me to my main point, and the reason I went down this rabbit hole in the first place. A person is responsible for his or her own happiness and must be personally responsible for pursuing, and, once achieved, cultivating or maintaining, this happiness.