Existential Crisis: Once in a Lifetime or Every Day?

Disclaimer: This post may trigger an existential crisis.

Recently, my 11-year-old son discovered something that completely shook his world.

He learned that colors aren’t actually “in” objects. What we see as red, blue, green, is light reflecting off surfaces, and our eyes interpreting it.

In other words, the world isn’t inherently colorful. Our perception makes it so.

He was genuinely distressed.

“It means everything is just… grey,” he said.“It’s not as bright as I thought.”

For him, it wasn’t physics. It was existential.

The idea that reality might not be what we assume can feel frightening. Disappointing. Almost like betrayal.

We tried to comfort him: “Isn’t it amazing that our eyes can create such beauty?”And then he said something that stopped me: “Then I feel sad for people who can’t see colours.”

And there it was. Grief. Awe. Perspective. Compassion. All in one moment.

Perhaps existential crises are not rare moments reserved for philosophers or life-changing events. They appear in everyday life.

In doubts about relationships. In moments when trust is shaken. In conflicts where we wonder: If I stay true to myself, will I still belong?

And sometimes that is why disagreements feel so intense.

Because beneath them are deeper human questions:

Who am I? Where do I belong? What truly matters?

We all face these moments.

The goal is not to avoid them, but to develop the capacity to sit with them.

To stay present even when certainty disappears.

And to remember that even if colours are only reflections of light…

we still experience the world in colour.