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knowing who one is. Appropri- much we emphasize the
ating something to myself pre- agent’s ability to know herself,
supposes knowledge of myself to appropriate life-events, to
– and the better this knowledge posit herself towards the world
is developed, the more I will be in a sovereign and masterful
capable of recognizing which way, there will be commitments
elements of life, which happen- and projects in one’s life which
ings or people ‘fit’ me: ‘Having are so fundamental that if they
something at one’s command, were to break down, we could
‘putting oneself in relation to not avoid a devastating experi-
something,’ or being able to ence of alienation, which can be
identify with something does temporary or, in the worst case,
not depend on understanding remain infinite. Loss of close
that something as—in Marx’s persons, loss of love, and loss
sense—the product of one’s of important life-projects do not
own activity. Rather, it is a ques- leave the individual the same as
tion of whether or not one can she has been before. In which
appropriate the events that de- way are we supposed, in such
termine our lives, especially cases, to re-appropriate our life,
when they are not steered or take command over it and not
controlled by us.’1 Summariz- let the circumstances crush us
ing, it is the ability to find an af- and how are we not to lose ori-
firmative relation (which in entation in our life? There is no
every single case is to be answer to this. As I said above,
judged about independently, as the tailor’s dress will only fit one
if a tailor would sew a fitting body and also here, it is me
dress)2 towards what seems who will be forced to deal with
uncontrollable, that will lead an whatever life will bring and it is
individual to minimize or even me who will experience pain
‘overcome’ alienation, while un- and will find herself between the
Undoubtedly, there are prob- options to either deny or to ac-
lems to be dealt with, cept what was given to or taken
considering everything that was from me. In the case of loss for
stated especially on alienation example, it is never the decision
as an impairment of the free- to completely let go of what has
dom of will. No matter how been taken away, but also of