Chapter 4
    My Authentic Project-of-Being

     I describe myself as an existential philosopher with special interests in:
love, death, Authenticity, & existential spirituality.
Love is the theme of my most popular book,
New Ways of Loving: How Authenticity Transforms Relationships.
Death is treated in my most difficult book,
An Existential Understanding of Death:
A Phenomenology of Ontological Anxiety.
(This small book is also a chapter of Our Existential Predicament.)
Authenticity is the subject of the book you hold in your hands.
And my largest book deals with existential spirituality:
Our Existential Predicament: Loneliness, Depression, Anxiety, & Death,
which attempts to show the way beyond such existential problems.

     I pursue the same purposes in classes and speaking.
In these forms of direct contact with people, I do not provide answers,
but I hope to stimulate people to answer their own questions.

     I want to inspire people to think clearly for themselves.
I want those who read my books, attend my classes, and hear my talks
to ask probing questions that challenge their deepest assumptions.
Perhaps I can encourage them to invent their own fundamental values.
I want to encourage people to become more autonomous and self-creating.
And I will support them in their life-changing decisions
—even if they choose ways of life I do not understand
or that are not approved by those close to them or by society in general.
In short, I want to help others to resist and transcend their enculturation,
to create their own philosophies of life, & to put their values into action.
In helping others to grow in these ways, I help myself at the same time.

     Existential spirituality is a theme treated both in my longest book,
Our Existential Predicament and my shortest:
Spirituality for Humanists: Six Capacities of Our Human Spirits.
These are for people who have moved beyond traditional religions,
and who are perhaps disillusioned by the current popular spirituality,
but who still find a deep quest within their spirits.

     I expect the future will hold even more opportunities for
writing, speaking, teaching, & other forms of encounter with people
—practical ways thru which I can pursue my Authentic project-of-being.
The newest ways in which I pursue my Authentic project
are Internet and electronic communication.
Such means empower me to share my ideas with people all over the world
who are interested in what I have to offer.
[Search for me on the Internet: "James Leonard Park".]
   
34  BECOMING MORE AUTHENTIC: THE POSITIVE SIDE OF EXISTENTIALISM by JAMES PARK

MY AUTHENTICITY CHART

     The easiest way to summarize my comprehensive project-of-being
is to present my Authenticity Chart, which lists my fundamental purposes
and the specific methods by which I attempt to pursue these goals.
Whenever I revise my chart, I name the books I am writing at the time
and the particular classes I am teaching.
Existential spirituality claims top place on my Authenticity Chart
because it is my most important purpose,
even tho I sometimes find it difficult to actualize this task
because there seem to be so few people sensitive to our Existential Malaise.

I. EXISTENTIAL SPIRITUALITY

    A. Reading
        I seek books that probe the depths of the human spirit.
        I am very interested in finding other people's expression
        for the inner state-of-being I call our Existential Predicament.

    B. Speeches and Writing about existential spirituality
        I value the occasional opportunities I have to talk with others
        about their quests for liberation from our Existential Dilemma.
        Such contacts often inspire me to new writing
        about our Existential Predicament
        and how we might seek release from our Malaise.
        The Internet might become the most important way
        I will continue to explore existential spirituality.

II. LIBERATION FROM CONFORMITY AND BECOMING MORE AUTHENTIC

    E.    Writing and Publishing
            Most of my writings deal in some way with this purpose.
    B.    Speaking about Authentic Existence
    C.    Death and Dying Concerns
            This includes reading, writing, & organizing workshops.
    D.    Speaking about Loving Relationships
    E.    Classes
            I offer classes on Authenticity, growth, love, etc.
    F.    Internet Outreach
            Many efforts intended to help people become more Authentic.

FOR ENJOYMENT, RECREATION, RELAXATION, & ENRICHMENT

     The bottom part of my chart details items such as reading magazines,
reading books, thinking, exercise, friends, sleeping, eating, & bookkeeping
—activities not always related to my Authentic project-of-being
but which I include so my time-inventory accounts for 168 hours per week.
And in recent years I have become an honorary grandparent.
Being with my voluntary family occupies a meaningful part of each week.

MY AUTHENTIC PROJECT OF BEING by JAMES PARK                                                       35

Created September 11, 2008; revised 11-4-2009; 3-3-2017;

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