Outside of this course, I have read only a few selected works from popular existential philosophers. The first was Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre. The book made me nauseous and I sold it at a used bookstore. The second, and hopefully not last, was Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche. Now it’s not like I was able to read the entire book and be at ease with what it said. The read was, and still is, challenging to mentally grasp. Out of all the philosophers related to existentialism, Nietzsche is the one whom I am most drawn to. I like his ideas about holding every person responsible to their actions and how we must progress as humans to lead us to the Übermensch. What also draws me to existentialism is the questions that are being asked and how they relate to self-consciousness. I want to know more about philosophy, different ways of thinking, and to have a better understanding of my place in the world. The actions of some people make no sense, and it makes me think, “What gives them the right? What proper right do we have to do so and so?”  This leads me to question my own actions and whether or not I have significant meaning in a place with billions of other people. Existentialism asks such perfect questions, in my opinion. It throws you into a scenario and anything you do has a reaction. Being brought up into a world that is filled with chaos and beauty at the same time begs for existentialism to be discussed. It also lays out the groundwork for self-reflection. Taking an honest look at yourself is one of the hardest things to do. Analyzing your weaknesses and learning how to build off of them into something positive is a breath of fresh air. I am hoping that by learning more about existentialism, I will learn the right questions to be asking myself, and the right train of thought to further expand my knowledge of myself and the world I live in.