Here is something I read... I get lightbulbs...

"In his Psychologie der Weltanschauugen, Jaspers breaks with traditional philosophy. In that work, he portrays and relativizes all philosophical systems as mythologizing structures to which man flees seeking protection from the real questions of his existence... Jaspers sees [these systems of philosophy] that claim to have grasped the meaning of life and systems that present themselves as "coherant systems of the Whole" as mere hollow "shells" that interfere with the experiencing of "border situations" and confer a false peace of mind that is inherently unphilosophical...." Hannah Arendt in Essays in Understanding: 1930-1954, Formation, Exile and Totalitarianism.

I like this argument. We all have our ways of making sense of the world; our politics, religion, philosophies, consumption, sequential life goals... whatever.... Is it possible that all these things that we are trained to create distract us from real raw experience? Or is real raw experience embedded in these things. Jaspers argues that these philosophies give us a false sense of peace. A sense of control in a world that is under the surface of things really truly chaotic and that prevent us from experiencing "border situations". Border situations.... perhaps where we feel most out of our element, most out of control.... when things fall apart or when things seem so perfect that all of these systems of meaning do not matter in comparison to what we feel deep within. I don't know, sex for the first time, getting robbed, having someone close die, giving birth.... These situations seem like border situations that in one way or another define our lives, teach us and transform us. I think it is a powerful and scary thing to wonder if all our comforts, all our musings about why and how the world is... a rational portrait of life and existence for example through religion.... does that interfere with our experience of the real? the border situations? Interesting to think about...