Existential Reflections

by Menno van der Land

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  • Home
  • About
  • Essays
  • Musings
  • Books
  • Contact
What is existentialism?
What is existentialism?
New book!
New book!
Why existentialists are atheists
Why existentialists are atheists
  • Living in the face of deathMay 24, 2025
  • The solo mindset and living authenticallyMay 16, 2025
  • Why existentialists are atheistsMay 14, 2025
  • loneliness
    Loneliness is not being alone. It’s the feeling that nobody caresDecember 12, 2020
  • Is autonomy a myth? (Spoiler: No it is not.)November 6, 2020
  • Why you should always keep asking ‘why?’October 16, 2020
  • Perfection is an illusion. Pursuing it is a recipe for unhappinessSeptember 6, 2020
  • Individuality, conformity and our need for social acceptanceJune 6, 2020

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atheism authenticity autonomy belonging childfree choice conformity death emotions existentialism expectations experience failure feelings freedom future hope individuality introvert justice life love meaning now pain past personality philosophy present psychology qualities quotes rejection relationship religion responsibility ruminating single solo sorrows thoughts time values well-being wisdom

Welcome to Existential Reflections

My name is Menno van der Land. Based in the beautiful city of Leiden, the Netherlands, I am exploring the world and existence. Read more

Recent musing

Every time someone asks me if I have children, and my answer is ‘no’, I am amazed that the default follow-up question is: “why not?” Apparently it’s OK to ask people to justify their highly personal life choices. Especially when those choices deviate from what is considered ‘normal.’ People who do have children rarely have to defend themselves. Although in my opinion it makes more sense to ask people why they chose to have children. A convincing answer to why you would bring children into this world, proving you have given it proper consideration, seems more appropriate to me than having to justify staying childfree.

5 misunderstandings about being introverted

Existential roadtrip

Books in Dutch

I have published two books about the history of the Dutch political party D66: Tussen ideaal en illusie and Langs de afgrond. My latest book is Friese voorouders, about the story of my Frisian ancestors, a story spanning 500 years and 13 generations. You can read more about my books in Dutch here.

Travel

Never having left my home country as a kid, I have been traveling the world my whole adult life. I feel very fortunate that I have been able to visit many incredibly beautiful places around the world. I have set up a dedicated website about my travels: Traveling Dutchie.

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