Existentialism and Postmodernism - John Piper

Existentialism Was the Air We Breathed

"The passion not to miss the essence of life, not to waste it, intensified
in college—the tumultuous late sixties. There were strong
reasons for this, reasons that go well beyond the inner turmoil of
one boy coming of age. “Essence” was under assault almost
everywhere. Existentialism was the air we breathed. And the
meaning of existentialism was that “existence precedes essence.”
That is, first you exist and then, by existing, you create your
essence. You make your essence by freely choosing to be what you
will be. There is no essence outside you to pursue or conform to.
Call it “God” or “Meaning” or “Purpose”—it is not there until
you create it by your own courageous existence. (If you furrow
your brow and think, “This sounds strangely like our own day
and what we call postmodernism,” don’t be surprised. There is
nothing new under the sun. There are only endless repackagings.)"
(Emphasis Added)

John Piper
"Don’t Waste Your Life" , pg. 14 & 15