Contemplation and literary reflection: engaging with the ethical and existential dimensions of human existence. 

by Alexandros K. Delis, Philologist, MSc

Vasiliki V. Pappas is a contemporary Greek poet whose work bridges the realms of literature, philosophy, and personal development. With a background in theology, her poetry carries a pronounced ethical and spiritual dimension, exploring questions of identity, freedom, and the meaning of existence. This theological foundation informs her contemplative approach to human responsibility, allowing her verse to reflect not only philosophical insight but also a concern for moral and spiritual authenticity. In addition, Pappas's engagement in personal development and counseling as a life coach shapes her poetic voice into one that is simultaneously reflective and directive. Her poems, such as "Meaning of Existence," employ direct address, rhetorical questioning, and concise yet powerful imagery, encouraging readers to confront inauthentic modes of living and undertake the difficult task of self-realization. The combination of spiritual, ethical, and practical perspectives renders her work both intellectually rigorous and personally transformative, positioning her uniquely within modern Greek poetry.

The following poem exemplifies Pappas's engagement with existential and ethical concerns, and will serve as the primary text for analysis in this essay.

Meaning of existence

                         To my friend

You seek on the wrong path

The meaning of your existence

Carrying useless burden

And creating a model of self-image

And way of life

Perfect for others

But not for you!

When will you find the strength

to disentangle yourself?

When will you find the strength

To make your own personal revolution?

It's not easy…

It stipulates strength,

Freedom of soul and spirit…

Your burden

Your decision…

Vasiliki V. Pappas

Introduction

Vasiliki V. Pappas's poem "Meaning of Existence" offers a concise yet philosophically dense meditation on the problem of human authenticity, freedom, and responsibility. Despite its brevity, the poem addresses some of the most enduring questions of existential thought: how meaning is formed, how identity is shaped, and to what extent individuals are responsible for the lives they lead. Addressed explicitly "to my friend," the poem combines intimacy with ethical urgency, transforming a personal address into a universal reflection on the human condition. Through direct second-person narration, rhetorical questioning, and morally charged language, Pappas critiques socially imposed identities and calls for a radical act of self-determination. This essay argues that "Meaning of Existence" functions as an existential exhortation, urging the individual to abandon inauthentic modes of living and to embrace the difficult freedom of personal choice.

The Poem as Ethical Address

The poem's subtitle, "To my friend," immediately establishes an interpersonal and ethical framework. Rather than adopting an impersonal or abstract voice, the speaker positions herself within a relationship of concern and responsibility. This choice transforms the poem into a form of moral dialogue. The "friend" is not merely a private addressee but a representative figure through whom the reader is invited to reflect on their own existence.

The persistent use of the second-person pronoun intensifies this effect. By addressing "you," the poem denies the reader the comfort of distance. The critique articulated by the speaker becomes difficult to dismiss as irrelevant or purely fictional. In this way, the poem mirrors existential philosophy's insistence that questions of meaning and freedom are not theoretical but deeply personal. The speaker does not accuse harshly; instead, she confronts with urgency, assuming that ethical responsibility includes the courage to speak uncomfortable truths.

The "Wrong Path" and the Search for Meaning

The opening lines—"You seek on the wrong path / The meaning of your existence"—introduce the poem's central conflict. The problem is not that the addressee lacks a desire for meaning, but that this desire is misdirected. Meaning, the poem suggests, cannot be discovered through external validation or socially sanctioned patterns of life. The phrase "wrong path" implies deviation from an authentic course rather than total failure or ignorance.

Existence here is understood not merely as biological life but as a meaningful project shaped by values and decisions. The poem implicitly rejects deterministic or essentialist notions of identity. Instead, it aligns with the existential belief that meaning must be created rather than found ready-made. The addressee's mistake lies in searching for meaning within structures that suppress individuality, rather than within personal freedom and self-knowledge.

Burden and the Weight of Inauthenticity

One of the poem's most striking images is that of the "useless burden." This burden is not imposed by external forces such as fate or material necessity but is self-inflicted. It consists of expectations, roles, and identities adopted to satisfy others. The adjective "useless" underscores the futility of this weight: it does not contribute to the individual's fulfillment or authenticity.

The burden metaphor evokes the existential paradox of freedom. While freedom allows self-creation, it also produces anxiety and responsibility. In attempting to escape this anxiety, the addressee adopts a prefabricated "model of self-image / And way of life." The word "model" suggests artificiality, replication, and performance rather than genuine self-expression. The enjambment leading to the line "Perfect for others / But not for you!" emphasizes the emotional and ethical rupture between social approval and personal truth.

Social Identity and Performed Selfhood

The poem's critique of the constructed self reflects a broader concern with social conformity. The self-image described is carefully designed to meet external expectations, suggesting that identity has become a performance. This performative self is rewarded with acceptance but costs the individual their authenticity.

Rather than presenting conformity as morally neutral, Pappas frames it as existentially damaging. The poem implies that living according to external models results in alienation from one's own desires and values. Authentic existence, by contrast, requires the courage to resist social pressures and accept the uncertainty that accompanies freedom. In this sense, the poem positions individuality as an ethical stance rather than a purely personal preference.

Rhetorical Questions and the Demand for Agency

The emotional climax of the poem occurs through a series of rhetorical questions: "When will you find the strength / to disentangle yourself?" and "When will you find the strength / To make your own personal revolution?" These questions are not meant to elicit answers but to provoke self-examination. Their repetition highlights the central importance of strength—not physical, but moral and existential.

The verb "disentangle" suggests that the individual is enmeshed in a complex web of obligations and expectations. Liberation is therefore neither simple nor immediate. The phrase "personal revolution" elevates self-transformation to the level of radical change. Revolution implies rupture, risk, and the dismantling of established structures. By applying this term to the individual psyche, the poem suggests that authentic living is inherently disruptive.

Freedom as Difficulty and Ethical Trial

The line "It's not easy…" marks a shift from confrontation to acknowledgment. The speaker recognizes the cost of the transformation she advocates. Freedom is not idealized as effortless self-expression but described as something that "stipulates strength, / Freedom of soul and spirit…" The repetition of "freedom" emphasizes its centrality, while the ellipsis conveys hesitation and gravity.

This portrayal aligns with existential philosophy's view of freedom as both empowering and burdensome. Freedom demands responsibility, self-awareness, and endurance. The reference to the "soul and spirit" suggests that the struggle for authenticity is internal and ongoing. The poem thus resists simplistic narratives of self-discovery, presenting authenticity as a continuous ethical effort.

Choice, Responsibility, and the Final Verdict

The poem concludes with two stark lines: "Your burden / Your decision…" These lines strip the poem of metaphor and explanation, leaving the addressee with a direct ethical verdict. Responsibility cannot be delegated or avoided. The individual must choose either to continue carrying the burden of inauthenticity or to confront the risks of freedom.

This ending reflects a core existential principle: while circumstances may constrain individuals, they remain responsible for how they respond to those constraints. The speaker's role is not to decide on behalf of the addressee but to clarify the stakes of the choice. Meaning, the poem insists, emerges from decision rather than from passive acceptance.

Intertextual and Philosophical Affiliations

Vasiliki V. Pappas's poem "Meaning of Existence" can be situated within a broader existential and ethical poetic tradition that encompasses both Greek and international literary figures. Formally concise and stylistically minimal, the poem's thematic core resonates strongly with existentialist philosophy, particularly the thought of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. The speaker's critique of a socially constructed "model of self-image" aligns closely with Sartre's concept of bad faith, wherein individuals deny their own freedom by conforming to externally imposed identities. Similarly, the concluding emphasis on individual responsibility—"Your burden / Your decision"—echoes Camus's insistence that meaning arises not from predetermined structures but from conscious choice in the face of existential weight. Unlike Camus's often tragic or absurdist tone, however, Pappas adopts a morally exhortative stance, framing existential freedom as a difficult yet necessary ethical act.

The poem also bears affinity with the introspective and advisory mode of Rainer Maria Rilke, particularly as expressed in Letters to a Young Poet. Like Rilke, Pappas employs second-person address to guide the addressee toward inner transformation rather than external validation. The notion of a "personal revolution" recalls Rilke's belief that authentic life requires solitude, courage, and patience with inner struggle. Furthermore, while stylistically distant from Walt Whitman's expansive and celebratory verse, Pappas shares with him a fundamental rejection of conformity and an affirmation of individual self-realization. Where Whitman proclaims the self with exuberance, Pappas approaches selfhood through restraint, emphasizing discipline, strength, and ethical accountability.

Within the Greek poetic tradition, Pappas's work can be read in dialogue with the existential and ethical concerns of Constantine P. Cavafy. As in poems such as "As Much As You Can," the emphasis falls on personal responsibility, conscious choice, and the quiet dignity—or failure—embedded in one's decisions. Additionally, elements of inner anguish and moral questioning evoke the poetry of Tasos Livaditis, though Pappas avoids his emotional excess in favor of philosophical sobriety. Finally, her depiction of existential misdirection recalls Giorgos Seferis's recurring exploration of alienation and fractured identity. In this sense, "Meaning of Existence" participates in a transnational poetic conversation that views poetry not merely as aesthetic expression but as a medium for ethical reflection and existential awakening.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "Meaning of Existence" by Vasiliki V. Pappas is a philosophically rich poem that confronts the reader with the ethical demands of authentic living. Through direct address, powerful metaphors, and a deliberate emphasis on choice and responsibility, the poem articulates a distinctly existential vision of human existence. It challenges the individual to recognize the burden of socially imposed identities and to embrace the difficult freedom of self-determination. Rather than offering comfort or resolution, the poem insists on awareness and decision as the foundations of meaning. In doing so, it affirms poetry's capacity to function not only as aesthetic expression but also as a catalyst for ethical and existential reflection.

Works Cited

1. Pappas, Vasiliki V. Meaning of Existence. In On the Princess' Shores, in collaboration with Tasos Vyzantios, translated into English by Aliki Naka, London, 2021.
2. Sartre, Jean-Paul. Being and Nothingness. Translated by Hazel E. Barnes, Washington Square Press, 1992.
3. Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Translated by Justin O'Brien, Vintage International, 1991.
4. Rilke, Rainer Maria. Letters to a Young Poet. Translated by M. D. Herter Norton, W.W. Norton & Company, 2002.
5. Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass. Modern Library, 2000.
6. Cavafy, Constantine P. Collected Poems. Edited by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard, Princeton University Press, 1992.
7. Livaditis, Tasos. Selected Poems. [Greek edition].
8. Seferis, Giorgos. Collected Poems 1924–1955. Translated by Edmund Keeley, Princeton University Press, 1994.
9. Solomon, Robert C. Existentialism. Oxford University Press, 2002.
10. Flynn, Thomas R. Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2006.