Alright, so here’s how my deep dive into Heidegger went down today. Wanted to actually get what this “Being” fuss was all about.
Grabbed my coffee, fired up the laptop, and thought, “How hard can this be?” Famous last words. Started by just typing “Martin Heidegger explained simply” into the search bar. Tons of results popped up, but most sounded like academic robots wrote them. Found one video thumbnail shouting “HEIDEGGER FOR NOOBS!” Perfect.
Hit play. Guy starts drawing stick figures on a whiteboard. “Heidegger thinks we’re all stuck asking ‘what is stuff?’” Okay, relatable. Like when you stare at a spoon and wonder why it exists. But then he dropped the German term “Dasein” – that’s Heidegger’s word for human existence. My brain stalled. Why not just say “human life”? Ugh, philosophers.
Paused the video and opened a blank doc to scribble notes:
- Dasein: Not just “being alive.” It’s our messy, aware, worried existence. Like knowing you’re temporary.
- Being vs. beings: “Being” (big B) is the whole mystery of existence itself. “Beings” (small b) are just… things. Trees, spoons, you.
- “They”: Not literal people. Heidegger’s way of saying society distracts us with dumb stuff so we ignore the big ‘why are we here?’ question.
Kept digging. Stumbled onto “throwness.” Huh? Turns out it means we’re just dumped into existence without a manual. No choice about when/where we’re born. Weirdly freeing? Like, it’s not all your fault.
Started pacing the room. This stuff was making my head buzz. Grabbed Heidegger’s own book “Being and Time.” Opened it, instantly regretted it. Page one felt like wrestling an eel covered in glue. Shut it fast. Nope.
Went back to YouTube. Watched a clip of a tired professor saying: “Heidegger thinks we’re like tools obsessed with being tools, but forget we are the toolbox.” Scratched my head. Okay? So… maybe we’re so busy doing life (job, bills, Netflix) that we skip questioning life?
Lightbulb moment: That’s his whole point! We get hypnotized by daily nonsense and ignore the huge, weird fact that we exist at all. “Being” isn’t a thing you find – it’s the background hum you feel when everything else is quiet.
So… Did I Crack It?
Honestly? No crystal-clear answers landed in my lap. But it clicked why people struggle so hard: Heidegger wants it slippery. He’s not describing existence like a science textbook. He’s pointing at this enormous, silent question mark hanging over everything we do. It’s more ‘vibe’ than vocabulary.
Felt exhausted, but weirdly satisfied. Learned the hard way: Heidegger resists easy explaining. And my notes? Looked like a conspiracy theory board by noon. Still… kinda fun wrestling with a giant. Messy thoughts, messy process.
