From Surviving to Existential Emotions

Every day, we experience a wide range of emotions. Happiness, anger, sadness — these feelings come and go in waves, sometimes multiple times in a single day. We may feel one emotion in the morning and its opposite by the evening, creating an endless back-and-forth between opposites that seems to define our emotional life.

But beneath this daily emotional fluctuation, most of us have one or two dominant emotions that we associate with who we are. These emotions shape our worldview and influence how we relate to the world. You may recognize yourself as “a sad person,” in contrast to someone who is always cheerful, or perhaps you identify as someone who “gets angry easily,” as opposed to someone who remains calm.

What we don’t often realize is that these dominant emotions are deeply connected to our survival instincts. Anger, for example, often arises when we feel that our boundaries or sense of self are being threatened. We feel angry when our views are challenged, or when someone crosses a line. Sadness appears when we feel hurt, when we experience loss or emotional pain. These emotions serve as survival mechanisms, designed to protect our limited sense of self — our ego.

While these emotions are functional and help us navigate the world, they cannot be our permanent states. If we remain consumed by them, they can overshadow our true nature and prevent us from truly experiencing life. Our existence should not be limited to merely reacting to situations based on survival instincts; there is a deeper, more expansive way to live.

Shifting from Survival Emotions to Existential Awareness

To break free from this cycle of reactive emotions, we need to shift our focus from survival to existence itself. Our true nature is not tied to the fight for survival, but to the experience of life — the quiet awareness of simply being. This shift begins when we start to connect with something greater than our individual needs, something beyond the limits of our body and personal desires.

This shift opens the door to what I call existential emotions. These are feelings that arise when we are in tune with the deeper rhythms of life. They are not reactive or driven by the need to protect ourselves; they are expansive, nourishing, and connected to the greater whole of existence.

We’ve all experienced these emotions at different points in our lives. Perhaps you’ve felt them while watching a beautiful sunset, receiving a thoughtful gift, or creating something that resonates deeply with your soul. Emotions like love, compassion, joy, gratitude, and appreciation are all expressions of this deeper connection with life. When we experience these feelings, we are aligned with our true essence — a state of being that transcends duality. In this space, opposites dissolve, and we experience the oneness of existence.

The Journey Towards Existential Emotions

One of the most profound goals of human life is to transcend the emotional cycles tied to personal survival and connect with the deeper, existential emotions that flow from our very essence. This shift in awareness takes us out of the narrow framework of self-preservation and into a broader, more connected experience of life itself.

When we embrace existential emotions, we step into a space where life is no longer a battle to be won or lost. Instead, we experience it as a flow, a rhythm that aligns us with the present moment, with existence in its purest form. This is where true peace, joy, and balance reside — not in the constant push and pull of personal emotions, but in the quiet, open acceptance of life as it is.

Ultimately, our journey is about letting go of the survival-driven emotions that keep us confined to a cycle of reacting and defending. Instead, we embrace the energy of life itself — emotions that arise from simply being, from the deep connection we share with existence, and from our ability to experience the beauty and richness of the world around us.

This is the shift from the personal to the universal, from survival to existence. And in this space, we find freedom.