In the depths of human experience lies an incredibly complex psychological barrier – the fear of finitude, which is deeply embedded in our everyday perceptions of existence.

The Struggle with Mortality: Unmasking the Fear of Finite Existence

In the depths of human experience lies an incredibly complex psychological barrier – the fear of finitude, which is deeply embedded in our everyday perceptions of existence. Right at the beginning of our life journey, we inadvertently avoid acknowledging the inexorable fact that we are all destined to lose our life’s vitality. This defense, a natural reaction to the thought of death, helps us maintain mental equilibrium, even though profound reflections and efforts to understand the essence of life could offer us new perspectives.

For, despite our ability to reflect on the most fundamental questions of existence, our everyday consciousness is governed by habitual, stereotypical patterns of thinking. These patterns act as an effective shield, retreating from truly bold attempts to penetrate the very essence of the Primordial Impulse – that original energy which drives us to resist finitude. Thus, the experience of death is deliberately pushed to the periphery of our everyday thoughts and emotional space, even though it is an integral part of being.

However, it is precisely in accepting this intrinsic truth that the potential for deep transformation resides. Recognizing the limits of our mortality can become a starting point for rethinking the value of every lived moment and for seeking the personal resources and strength necessary to move beyond conventional thinking. Perhaps it is through this painful yet inspiring process of integration that we might discover new pathways to a deep and conscious existence, where fear gives way to true life energy.

What psychological barrier, in your opinion, is insurmountable and why?

In my view, the insurmountable psychological barrier is the one associated with the fear and denial of the finiteness of human existence – a barrier that arises when trying to acknowledge and integrate the idea of death into everyday consciousness. In daily life, our consciousness deliberately avoids fully perceiving this fundamental aspect of being; it does not attempt to “maximally explicate the Primordial Impulse” or to delve into the essence of what drives our desire to overcome finitude. That is, despite our capacity for deep reflection, everyday consciousness remains confined within stereotypical modes where the experience of death is repressed and marginalized. Such psychological protection becomes insurmountable as it is embedded in the very fabric of our daily life and worldview.

Supporting citation(s):
"Furthermore, aside from this fundamental 'resolution limit' of the optics of consciousness, in everyday existence, consciousness does not strive to maximally explicate the Primordial Impulse—to clarify its purpose and origins: for it has been observed and established (most profoundly in Heidegger’s existential analytics) that everyday consciousness, subordinated to the routine structures of life, tends to shy away from, to turn away from the experience of death, subjecting it to repression and marginalization. Consequently, within the typical stereotypical modes of human existence and the functions of consciousness, both the 'overcoming of death' and the very Primordial Impulse that drives us toward it remain rather indistinct." (source: link txt)