Unlike the celebrity with one achievement, this individual repeats the same achievement over and over, thereby withdrawing from independence. An example would be an artist with one style of expression, repeated with minor variations to please others. By avoiding the new, the different, the individual ceases to create and define a self. Toward Death The only proof that an individual understands existence is the understanding and acceptance of death. While a child can understand the physical need for food, the known consequences of not eating are limited to hunger and illness.
Death is a complex concept, beyond the grasp of an immature existence.
The moment one accepts death is the point when essence is brought into focus. Knowing that life is finite reinforces the importance of all further decisions. For the existentialist, the worst of natural sins is a failure to define the self using free will. Guilt cannot be avoided, however, because all individuals fail to take some action, to make some choices. Though life is filled with dread that the universe is not safe and guilt that life is every complete, the human being has a desire to exist and define the self.