Each of man’s confrontations with his surroundings sets forth an immediate change within his perceptive field. Whatever he experiences, whatever he touches, is left as a mark on his person. Man is irrevocably conditioned by his surroundings. In order to survive, he must actively participate in the organic process of the world. He must make his own of all experiences to fully grasp his life-world; he must become an active participant in what constitutes his human existence. Only by accepting the boundaries of our human condition can we experience freedom; only when we make sense of our existence in the world can we experience meaningfulness, and we can only make sense of our existence if we participate with the world around us. For in isolation one is deprived of the capacity to act.
