Shabeer Ahmad Lone
The trajectory of human thought, from the structured rationalism of modernity to the radical skepticism of postmodernity (having a profound convergence with mystical traditions particularly sufism) marks one of the most profound intellectual and existential shifts in history. Modernity emerged with an unwavering confidence in reason, scientific progress, and the pursuit of universal truths, dismantling traditional structures in favor of individual autonomy and empirical knowledge. The Enlightenment’s grand vision promised clarity, coherence, and a sense of human mastery over existence, yet its very rationalism set in motion an existential crisis. The disenchantment of the world, as Max Weber termed it, severed humanity from metaphysical certainties, leaving individuals suspended in a cosmos that, though explained scientifically, often felt devoid of intrinsic meaning.The existentialist philosophers-of the 19th and 20th centuries,Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus-grappled with this crisis, diagnosing the alienation, absurdity, and freedom that emerged when old theological and metaphysical assurances crumbled. Postmodernity, rather than resolving this crisis, deepened it further by dismantling the very foundations of modernist certainty. Jean-François Lyotard’s incredulity toward metanarratives, Derrida’s deconstruction, and Baudrillard’s hyperreality fractured reality itself, rendering truth, identity, and meaning fluid, contingent, and often elusive. This intellectual rupture was not confined to philosophy alone; it permeated literature, psychology, political theory, and cultural discourse, shaping the existential dilemmas of the contemporary world. Empirical data across traditions, cultures, and geographies confirm that as societies transition from structured modernist ideals to postmodern fragmentation, they experience heightened existential anxiety, identity crises, and an intensifying struggle to situate the self within an ever-shifting epistemic and ontological landscape. The repercussions of this transformation are evident in mental health studies, the rise of ideological extremisms, the dissolution of stable social frameworks, and an increasing dissonance between the rapid acceleration of technological advancement and the human need for meaning, continuity, and rootedness.
The shift into postmodernity deepened this existential crisis, replacing the universalizing narratives of modernity with skepticism toward grand truths. Jean-François Lyotard famously defined postmodernity as an “incredulity toward metanarratives,” signaling a fundamental rupture in how truth, knowledge, and reality were understood. Where modernity sought coherence and structure, postmodernity embraced fragmentation, plurality, and uncertainty. This transition did not merely complicate philosophical discourse but profoundly altered the lived experience of individuals. The postmodern world, saturated with media, hyperreality, and relativism, dissolved fixed identities, leaving individuals in a perpetual state of flux. Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality, where the distinction between the real and the simulated collapses, exemplifies the existential anxiety of postmodernity-a world where meaning is endlessly deferred, constructed, and deconstructed without the possibility of final resolution.
Poetry, as a reflection of the human condition, captures these existential dilemmas with profound sensitivity. The poetic symphonies of modernity and postmodernity echo the struggle between meaning and meaninglessness, between the longing for truth and the realization of its instability. The existentialist poetry of the modernist era, seen in the works of T.S. Eliot, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Wallace Stevens, grapples with the fragmentation of self and the search for transcendence in a disenchanted world. Eliot’s The Waste Land epitomizes the crisis of modernity, portraying a civilization that has lost its spiritual and cultural anchor, where meaning is elusive, and history is a collage of broken images. Rilke’s Duino Elegies embody a paradoxical longing, a recognition of beauty alongside the terror of existence, capturing the tension between presence and absence, fullness and void. These poetic expressions reflect a deep existential confrontation with a world that, despite its advancements, offers no inherent meaning.
Postmodern poetry takes this existential crisis further, often dismantling the very foundations upon which modernist poets sought meaning. The works of John Ashbery, Charles Bernstein, and contemporary poets like Anne Carson and Claudia Rankine disrupt traditional poetic structures, mirroring the postmodern sensibility of uncertainty and multiplicity. Ashbery’s Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror exemplifies this disorientation, weaving fluid, self-referential narratives that refuse closure or fixed interpretation. Rankine’s Citizen engages with the existential crises shaped by race, identity, and systemic power, revealing how postmodernity does not simply abstractly question meaning but deeply implicates lived realities in its paradoxes.
Philosophically, the existential dilemmas of modernity and postmodernity are not merely abstract crises but are deeply rooted in socio-political realities. The alienation diagnosed by Marx, the absurdity articulated by Camus, and the existential anguish described by Sartre are intensified in a world dominated by late capitalism, digital hyperconnectivity, and global crises. The collapse of fixed identities, once celebrated as a form of liberation, now manifests as an overwhelming burden of choice and self-construction, where the individual must navigate an endless array of constructed meanings without any stable ground. The contemporary existentialist crisis, thus, is not simply about meaning but about agency-about how individuals situate themselves in a world where truth is contested, identity is fluid, and reality itself is mediated through layers of representation.
Empirical data from psychological studies on existential anxiety in contemporary society further reinforce this crisis. Studies indicate a marked increase in existential distress, particularly among younger generations, who face a world of precarious employment, ecological collapse, and digital saturation. Reports from leading psychological and sociological institutions highlight how the decline of stable belief systems, combined with an information-saturated world, has led to heightened existential anxiety, manifesting in rising rates of depression, nihilistic attitudes, and an increasing turn to ideological extremism as a means of reclaiming certainty.
At this critical juncture, the existential dilemmas of modernity and postmodernity demand an urgent and profound re-engagement with the question of meaning. The collapse of absolute certainties has left humanity in a paradoxical state: liberated from dogmatic constraints yet burdened with the responsibility of self-construction in a reality where meaning is no longer given but must be actively forged. This challenge is not merely philosophical but deeply practical, affecting everything from personal identity formation to global political dynamics. The poetic symphonies of this crisis, articulated through literature, philosophy, and the arts, offer a lens through which to navigate the paradoxes of existence. Rainer Maria Rilke’s longing for transcendence in Duino Elegies, T.S. Eliot’s fragmentation in The Waste Land, and the radical indeterminacy in the works of postmodern poets like John Ashbery and Anne Carson mirror the struggle between coherence and chaos. Philosophical thought, from existentialism to contemporary phenomenology, continues to seek pathways through this uncertainty-some embracing radical freedom, others gesturing toward new spiritual or metaphysical orientations. In light of the latest scholarly research, cross-cultural philosophical traditions, and contemporary existential inquiries, the task is not to retreat into either rigid absolutism or paralyzing relativism but to cultivate a mode of thinking that acknowledges uncertainty while resisting nihilism. If modernity produced the existential dilemma by dissolving the certainty of tradition, postmodernity intensified it by dissolving the very foundation upon which new meaning could be constructed. The abyss of uncertainty that postmodernity opens is not merely an academic concern but a lived reality that continues to shape personal, cultural, and political landscapes in ways that demand critical reflection, artistic expression, and new philosophical engagements with the very nature of being in the contemporary world.
The future of existential thought must balance the insights of modernity and postmodernity, neither discarding reason nor surrendering to fragmentation but forging a nuanced, integrative approach to meaning-making in an age that continues to oscillate between clarity and abyss. The quest for meaning remains the defining struggle of our time-urgent, timeless, and inextricably woven into the intellectual, cultural, and existential fabric of humanity.
Further postmodernity’s existential anxiety and the mystical insights of Sufism offer a vital reengagement with truth, identity, and meaning. Postmodernity deconstructs rigid structures, while Sufism reconstructs meaning through experiential realization and inner transformation. This synthesis provides a compelling alternative to dogmatism and relativism, offering a vision of existence that embraces fluidity without falling into uncertainty. As contemporary scholarship and sociological research reveal a growing interest in mystical perspectives, Sufi philosophy and practices address the human search for dynamic, experiential truth. In a fragmented world, Sufism invites deeper engagement with reality, allowing for an ever-expanding horizon of meaning and spiritual fulfillment.
Author can be mailed at shabirahmed.lone003@gmail.com
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