Existentialism America

I found the Intro to Existential America reading to be very interesting. Of course I have heard of existentialism along with names like Sarte and Beauvoir, but i can't say I have ever had an understanding of it. Our "absurd condition" seemed to pop up a decent amount. I can see how our not so simple existense could cause this level of philosophical thought. The reading mentioned an attemept to define existentialism by Sarte where he said we are "condemmed to be free." In reading this, I realized that I have struggled with existential ideas without ever really knowing it. I'm sure that could be said for us with a lot of different philosophies, but it is kind of an eye opener.