Existential philosopher Karl Jaspers introduced the term boundary situations to refer to vivid and life affirming reminders of life’s limitations. We come upon them in two ways—first, by becoming more aware of how the lifestyles we lead reflect how we deal with the irrefutability of our mortality. Second, by encountering “little d” deaths throughout life: normal life transitions (from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to adulthood, from working life to retirement, and so on) to losses (both minor and major) to traumas (whether experienced directly by a person or vicariously, intergenerationally, and so on). Either way, boundary situations typically are experienced as a realization that we are rapidly approaching a crossroads with our cell phone out of range and no map in the glovebox—and we need to make a split decision whether to turn left or right.
Something happens to us when we encounter boundary situations: We become aware of our need to be present. We find it more difficult to return to uncritically living out fixed patterns; to engaging in compulsive, impulsive, or meaningless activity; and to taking life for granted and/or as something to be gotten through. In that sense, boundary situations provide a turning point that is conducive to radical change in which we commit to becoming better capable of engaging in life intentionally, authentically, courageously, creatively, and responsibly in accordance with our values. We literally re-valuate what matters to us now, in this moment. We identify areas of our lives we are ready to release in the interest of clearing a space to actively enact a future of our situated choosing. And, having experienced a new perspective, we have something both concrete and lived that we can ongoingly refer back to as inspiration and guidance for further decision making as we come upon more boundary situations. At its best, pushing life’s uncertainty and impermanence to the foreground is conducive to overcoming self-preoccupation and to developing a greater sense of compassion and interdependence. By recognizing death’s universality, along with the diverse means by which people deal with it—sometimes more constructively, sometimes more destructively—we recognize our freedom to choose how we are willing to live going forward. What boundary situations may you be confronting at the moment that could lend themselves to that?
Written by: Andrew Bland, PhD, Samaritan Therapist
