The

Project of
Existence
 Unlocking of Words
 Integral - necessary to make a whole complete;
essential or fundamental.
 Preoccupation -the state or condition of being
preoccupied or engrossed with something
 Inherent - existing in something as a
permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute
 Libido – sexual desires, lust
 Unlocking of Words
 Erotic - relating to or tending to arouse sexual
desire or excitement.
 Permeated - spread throughout (something
 Abstinence - the fact or practice of restraining
oneself from indulging in something
 Abdication - failure to fulfill a responsibility or
duty.
 Life & Sexuality
 Tansenco, 1991 citing Van Kaam (Sex and
Existence)…
 Considered the lack of integration of life and
sexuality in our contemporary culture.
 Today, man’s attention is drawn so concentratedly
on sex.
 Man’s preoccupation with sex often outweighs his
concerns with other aspects of life.
 It therefore does not fit smoothly into the totality of
his existence.
 Project of Life
 If man’s development
is to have meaning,
some project of life is
necessary.
 A sound project of
existence is in tune
with the fundamental
structure of human
nature.
 Human structure
reveals to us that man
is free, that he himself
can decide to what
degree and in what
manner he will
respond to the
invitation of sexual
fulfillment.
 If he desires to integrate
sex in his existence in a
wholesome way, his
personal answer to the
sexual appeal of the
world will be compatible
with his project of life.
 Man’s project of
existence, if it is
wholesome, will not
contradict his
fundamental nature.
 The sex drive referred to as
the libido by Freud is a
power inherent in our
existence.
 This lead to the emergence
of a sexual world for us.
 Our seeing reveals external
stimuli as shape and color,
our hearing reveals them
as sound and tone, and our
libido reveals them as
sexual meaning.
 This erotic perception
makes us aware how we
may sexually enjoy our
body and that of the
other, how we may live
as sexual life if we decide
to do so.
 Our perception as erotic
reveals the body to us as
sexual and outline for us
its sexual articulation
and appeals.
 This power in us is the
necessary condition
for the mergence of
sexual situations.
 Such situations are
offered to our
freedom, then, so that
we may freely decide
to answer or not to
answer their appeal
 The sexual
dimensions of our life
is not isolated from
the whole of our
existence. On the
contrary, the
orientation of our
sexuality is intimately
connected with the
orientation of our
existence as a whole.
 It is for this reason
that our existential
project as a whole has
a tremendous
influence on the
development of our
sexual perception and
behavior
 A man, whose project
of existence is
permeated by a
commitment to his
wife may develop less
elaborated sexual
perceptions of other
women than a man
who is not firm in his
commitment. (Van
Kaam)
 There are people who
decide to dedicate
their existence so
exclusively to one task
that they freely forego
any form of sexual
fulfillment.
 When such abstinence
is the result of an
authentic
commitment to a
unique mission, it is
wholesome and does
not cripple the
personality.
 Every well-oriented
project of existence
implies the fulfillment of
certain modes of
existence and the
abdication of the
fulfillment of others.
 In exceptional cases, it
may be the sexual mode
which is abdicated in
favor of other modes of
encounter with people.
 Dag Hammarksjold –
Secretary General of
UN
 St Thomas of Aquinas
 Mahatma Ghandi
 St. Therese of Calcutta
 Pope John Paul II
 In such a plan of
existence, the sexual
mode is not
necessarily denied or
repressed, but its
invitation, while fully
appreciated, is not
accepted because of
other more central
commitment.