Dealing With the Absurd

Today is Albert Camus' birthday. Happy birthday, Mr. Camus! He conceptualized and tried to explain what I believe to be the intrinsic burden human beings suffer through all their lives: that life, existence, our very being is absurd to the nth degree. There is something deep and innate within us that yearns for there to be meaning and order and purpose in our universe and lives.

Our reality and universe fail to provide this meaning. They will forever fail in this regard. Religion gives succor and faith-based hope that there is purpose. However, the proof is not to be obtained through this avenue, but only empty promises, smoke and ash. Reality stays a perpetual stark antithesis to our desire for purpose. We shout into the void, begging it to acknowledge us and our struggle, and we receive no response. The only sound to be heard is the echo of our voice, pitiful and pleading.

My understanding of Camus' philosophy is thus: in order to thrive in this absurd reality, and not succumb to the despair and nihilism that settles in the soul after realization, one must embrace and channel the absurd fully in one's approach to living. This requires a certain