Destruction from Within: The Crisis of Lost Meaning
Personal crises and the loss of inner meaning can lead to self-destructive behavior, even when external conditions seem positive. This happens because external well-being cannot compensate for the deep inner emptiness and the lack of a unifying core that would give life coherence and direction. The inner world of a person engulfed in crisis is marked by the absence of a "harmonizing center" that could bind life's aspirations. It is precisely the loss of this key idea that leads to the disappearance of interest in life, which in turn can evoke feelings of existential meaninglessness and trigger destructive impulses.As noted in one source, "the absence of a harmonizing center in unceasing work... is only the external consequence of this loss of life's purpose. The other, more internal consequence consists in the universal and uncontrollable disappearance of interest in life" (source: link txt). This underlines that even in the midst of numerous external achievements and favorable conditions, the profound loss of life's meaning deprives a person of inner satisfaction, rendering their existence empty and sorrowful.Another source reveals the tragedy of a person faced with a choice when the loss of their true calling leaves them "living without meaning." According to the author, it is precisely this loss that results in "a regression to the level of mere existence," where the absence of meaning makes life unbearable and leads to a thirst for death (source: link txt). Thus, despite external success or prosperity, internal crises and the loss of a sense of vocation can disintegrate personal wholeness, resulting in deep dissatisfaction with oneself and one’s life, which can manifest in self-destructive behaviors.In conclusion, self-destructive behavior is a reaction to an internal conflict: external conditions remain, but without an integrated sense of life's meaning and a profound personal calling, a person loses the ability to experience life fully. This leads to the feeling that existence has lost its value, ultimately driving actions aimed at ending internal pain, even when everything appears to be fine on the outside.Supporting citation(s):"The immense multitude of details and the absence of anything principal and unifying among them... The lack of a harmonizing center in unceasing labor, in the eternal creation of parts that do not aspire towards anything, is only the external consequence of this loss of life's meaning. The other, more internal consequence lies in the universal and unstoppable disappearance of interest in life." (source: link txt)"Thus, the thirst for death shows us that existence is valuable only when it has meaning, and it has meaning when it aligns with its calling. A called existence is a meaningful existence. Therefore, the calling forms the very foundation that elevates a person beyond mere existence... Having lost their calling, a person lives without meaning and therefore cannot endure such a life: they would have preferred not to have been born or at least to die now." (source: link txt)