Conditions of Existence

Have you ever set conditions for your own existence?

It was around my second year of high school when I first came across the concept of “conditions of existence” during a math lesson. In mathematics, a condition of existence is a rule that tells us when an expression or operation makes sense and can be calculated. It helps avoid impossible results, like dividing by zero or finding the square root of a negative number (within the realm of real numbers). For example, in the expression 1 over x-2​, x must not equal 2, as that would lead to division by zero—an undefined or impossible result.

A light bulb moment. Just seconds after learning this strange idea, some neural path sparked, suggesting that I, too, had been doing the same thing with my life. I was speechless. I was stunned that a mathematical concept (from a subject I typically disliked) had opened my eyes to my own philosophy of life.

Because I, too, have always imposed conditions on my existence: “If I lose one of my five senses, I don’t want to keep living”; “If I get cancer, I don’t want to endure the pain of chemotherapy”; “If I lose a limb or a cognitive ability, I don’t want to live.” And so on.

Setting conditions for existence is a serious matter, one that requires thoughtful reflection and wisdom.

Over the course of my young life, I had the misfortune of encountering an “undefined expression.” One of the conditions of existence I had set was no longer met; it was no longer respected.

“And now?” I asked myself.

I spent a long time reflecting on what “living” truly meant to me. Just as in math, where the condition of existence defines when an expression is valid, my own parameters had resulted in my life expression becoming “invalid.” Each of us needs certain fundamental elements to live and thrive: relationships, purpose, physical and mental well-being, and so on.

Without these elements, life can seem “undefined” or “impossible,” much like a math problem that cannot be solved.

“So, what do you do when you reach that point?”

Good question… because the type of answer you give will determine your fate.

Digging deeper, I started to sense something: perhaps the very concept of “condition of existence” needed rethinking. In mathematics, if something is undefined, it just means it cannot be calculated by standard rules; that doesn’t erase the rest of the expression.

I realized that I had always been the one rigidly defining what made my existence “valid,” as though living were a mathematical expression to be solved by strict, unchanging criteria. It was as if I had decided that certain experiences or abilities were the essential numbers giving me value, and that without them, everything would reduce to zero. But life, unlike math, doesn’t operate on such rigid schemes.

Was it really necessary to define my entire existence based on those conditions? Couldn’t I choose to live even if not all of them were fulfilled? So, I took it a step further and asked myself what would remain, beyond those conditions. What if I were willing to let go of that image of a perfect life?

What’s the point of a life that’s only a sum of conditions? Maybe living means embracing even what feels unbearable, letting it become part of our story—the defining part.

This discovery took time, and I admit that even today, I sometimes fall back into those old patterns. But now, whenever I feel the pull of “conditions of existence,” I remember that just as in math we can solve a complex problem by bypassing what’s undefined (through domain exclusions, simplifications, or limits), I, too, can choose to live my life without stopping at what seems impossible. I can move forward, knowing that not all parts of my existence will always have a solution. And that’s okay.

Sometimes, we need to accept rewriting our conditions of existence, redefining what we consider “valid” so we can keep moving forward.