I often feel that I’m not among the
majority in how I interpret the mood of concepts such as the one Camus appears
to convey through The Myth of Sisyphus. Suicide or recovery. Accept that life
is meaningless and face the absurd or have a leap of faith and hope a god or
gods are guiding us to life beyond where meaning is plentiful. In most cases
people put this notion in a manner of optimism vs. pessimism, or even pessimism
vs. pessimism, and place a negative connotation on the prospect that life, in
and of itself, is simply meaningless. Even if the person ultimately agrees with
Camus’ view that it is meaningless, they still present it in a downtrodden
manner typically. I noticed this very heavily in our discussion, and I am
always very curious why the prospect that life is meaningless is very rarely
ever considered the optimistic point of view? Isn’t this the main point that
begs reflection from his words and concepts he presents? Why does the prospect
that in the grand scheme of existence, we are insignificant specs of various
forms of mass to a universe of no consciousness towards the very notion that we
even exist, or of existence in the first place, cause so many to become upset,
sad, depressed, angry, defensive or even suicidal? Why do so many draw a
conclusion of the absurdity of life in a very similar manner as Camus, such as
Kierkegaard, and then turn away from the very inherent contradiction that they
proposed? Is the idea that we are not here specifically to perform tasks that
were pre-ordained by someone or something “greater” than ourselves one that should
raise so much ire? Or is it an idea that is meant to propose contemplation of
how we see “life” in the very first place? A notion that while “we” are only
the sum of compounded personal choices, these were choices that were made of
our own cognition, making “life” a singular aspect where it becomes plain and
simply our own? What is it about being alone in this universe that hurts the
human ego so severely? Should this not make life seem that much more wonderful
and positive? To see life as an improbable occurrence set in motion by specific
occurrences for absolutely no specific meaning or reason other than a chain of particulate
cause and effect events, seems like winning the universal lottery, does it not?
Why can happiness only derive from feeling someone or something else gave
meaning and purpose to life?
Personally,
I find the notion that there is no meaning to life to be absolutely beautiful
and fantastic! I believe that ultimately, this is where Camus guided the reader
with the notions presented. By realizing the utter absurdity of our own
existence, it destroys the mental linearity we place on “ourselves” and to enjoy
this meaningless existence. To accept absolute freedom, an existence with no
strings, no path, no universal answer, no significance, no unearthly or earthly
guidance, where we are responsible for the life we chose to create should
arouse passion in one’s mind I believe. We all know inevitably we will die, so
why keep living? To me, that answer seems inherent in the question, because we
are alive. There are so many amazing things in this world to experience and
learn. I could spend so many lifetimes simply learning to play every instrument
that already exists. Traveling and sharing in other cultures, customs,
interactions, and of course the food. The understanding of the inevitable death
and realizing that it presents a limit on time for us I believe is a major
point of why humans feel the need to derive meaning from life, an
understandable greed that creates a false bravado or ego. This is why I believe
eternity has become an obtainable thing (such as eternal life through the blood
of/acceptance of Christ), rather than the alternative of eternity simply being
infinite. Ever occurring. Vast. Nothing.
The looming nature of one’s inevitable death is a catalyst for humans to derive meaning in their lives. Humans desire to bestow their own meaning or purpose upon their lives, when they become cognizant of the absurdity of the world in order to delude themselves from their suffering and pain, which both seem to lack personal gain at times.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about optimism and pessimism about the meaning life to a certain extent. I do think that many people who are pessimistic about life may in fact be suicidal, however I think that for some people this pessimism about life could be their way of recovering or coping with the absurdity and meaninglessness of life. Typically, people approach the meaninglessness of life from a rather downtrodden and pessimistic standpoint and I think they are justified in this negative mindset. I think that it is hard to accept the fact that we may be suffering for absolutely and in that case, why bother?
Yes, there are a lot of beautiful things to experience in the world, however only a select few have the means of discovering these things. There are so many people, who suffer in poverty and sickness all of their lives without much relief, and most likely contemplate suicide daily. However, some people who have nothing are the happiest people in the world. On the flip side of this coin, there are many people who are privileged with the ability to discover the world and all its beauty, who still want to end their lives. I am reminded of the quote, “that which doesn’t kill me will only make me stronger,” and I think even if this is true, why do humans have to strive to become stronger on a daily basis just so that they can survive and cope with pain only to realize that in the end their life (and thus their suffering) was meaningless. In this case, I don’t think that viewing life as an improbable occurrence without specific meaning or reason is like winning the universal lottery. I wish I had the ability to understand how people who have nothing and are not able to experience the world, learn about different cultures, and try many foods are still happy and even fulfilled.
I don’t know if you fully got my meaning on optimism and pessimism. I’m asking why seeing life as meaningless is considered pessimistic or negative. You seemed to look at what I meant as that people look at the pessimism of meaninglessness from a downtrodden perspective. Am I correct in that understanding of your point? If so, that skips the point of: why is life being meaningless, from a universal or religious aspect, a pessimistic view? I find the view of life having an externally motivated meaning as the pessimistic side. Conversely, I see the lack of guided meaning to existence as the beautiful and optimistic side. Why does the lack of a given purpose become “why bother?” If that is ones only cause to live, because someone or something else decided you should and put you on the plane of existence to fulfill some mundane tasks for some reason they may, or may not, unveil after you die; why bother? Because you have to? Because you choose to? To me, saying “why bother” from either end seems incredibly odd. I understand it in terms of linear reasoning, the fact that the mind will go there in contemplation based on our societal views of life and death. How our species has defined our importance by creating a god that is in our very own image and likeness. The part where I get hung up is when that thought lasts and becomes more than a segue into “I exist”.
DeleteAs for the notion that only a few have the means of discovering how beautiful existence is by experiencing various cultures, music, food, etc; that could not be further from the truth. To be a jetsetter, sure, you need means of currency to do that. To experience culture, music and food alone, you need to simply communicate. If you go back to my first post, I stated my economic and family background to a small degree. I grew up in poverty, genuine poverty. My family was homeless for almost a year when I was around 13. Aside from that, we moved once or twice a year to beat the inevitable eviction notice from not being able to pay rent even with government aid. Boiling water in stock pots from a fire outside so we could bathe was not foreign to us. I know just how delicious a mayonnaise sandwich with stale bread can be when you have nothing else to eat at home. That mixed with experiencing a horrible tragedy when I was only 6, among other issues as well; I know what it is to have a “hard” life. Now, I don’t bring this up for any other reason than to give perspective on why someone in such a position could be a very happy and optimistic person and how they absolutely can travel and experience the world while believing that there is no real meaning to life other than whatever meaning you put to it.
I will try to avoid making my lengthy past a novel. With what I have stated of my life, obviously, many times I was very depressed, angry, terrified, and simply ashamed. However, I came to a point where I was tired of feeling like I was incapable of being anything other than a mid-level manager somewhere, a “lower class” person essentially and so I asked why I felt as though that was who I was. Friends I had who were privileged, a good number of them certainly held those of us in the position of poverty to the “lower than us” regard. My father certainly let loose his inner self-hatred from his own failures with verbal and attempted physical abuse. Those around me, friends and local people from slummy areas, used it as a statement to express why they could never get anywhere and thusly must get into criminal situations. I am actually very happy I hung around a lot of kids that were all about theft, drugs and fighting, because watching their hypocrisy was what allowed me to really see my own. I saw that I would never “experience” anything because I accepted my defeat and kept myself in the walls of “the impoverished life”. I also realized that I actually had experienced far more than most anyone else my age at the time. I lived all over the place, granted, not by conventionally positive means. I met tons of people, loved so many different forms of music, wasn’t very picky with what I ate, didn’t hold the same regard for “comfortable living”, as I had been out of a normal comfort zone many times before. I lived near people that grew up surviving South American death squads, someone who fled Rwanda after his loved ones were killed during the Rwandan Civil War. There were just so many people that came from even less and had very little to nothing, who still found happiness in their lives and were also unbelievably intelligent with no formal schooling. How could I ever say “I can’t live my life” or “I could never experience…” with a straight face, when others have done it? You want to gain knowledge? Libraries are free. The internet is so widely accessible now, there is no excuse for the common person to be so shielded unless physically forced. If you can learn a skill, you can always find a place to work; even if only for room and board. You don’t need a house to travel, in fact, not having a home makes it very easy and keeps bills away. Speaking of bills, they certainly are not anywhere near as important and fearful as we make them out to be. Very few bill collectors will kill you for not paying them. When you stop looking at yourself in a negative manner, you define your own self-worth and decide what is truly important to you, what things in life you would like to experience or what experiences have made you happy. Then you can pursue that, or them.
DeleteIf I ran down a list of bad things I have lived or experience, you may see it as a hellish life and question why suicide never once seemed like a viable option for me. Especially considering that I never had faith in God(s) or an afterlife. Seemed simple to me though; I exist. I’m here, at least, as I perceive me being here. While there certainly have been hellish times and extraordinary sadness’s, there were moments of extreme happiness like watching George Carlin live, and seeing an adult challenge the things a 5 year old was being belittled and condescended upon for challenging. Listening to Miles Davis and Coletrane recreate Dear Old Stockholm, or Alex Skolnik take a Thrash lead to a whole new level with finesse and beautiful melodies. Going all over New York to see who makes the best pizza (the old Roma pizzeria in Middletown NY turned out to be the correct answer. Best pizza in the world), or just jumping from free local concerts sponsored by NPR to see world music artists. You don’t need a wealth of money to experience life.
In terms of people from Nairobi, Kenya, or even traditionalists from Kyoto, where they have almost nothing, you should make your own trip there to ask them yourself. If not travel, find a pen pal. My fiancé has had a pen pal from Japan for the last decade, it is really a great thing to do. Even just find anthropological chat forums online to discuss with people who once lived there or have a steep knowledge and might be able to help with insight. Ultimately, wanting to understand how one finds fulfillment in life, given the circumstances being perceivably bad, I think is a very good pursuit and hope you are sincere in wishing you could understand how, because I back empathy entirely and believe there is nothing in this world that cannot be brought to an understanding between both parties unless you shut your mind down and choose to “not be able to”. Hopefully context was not lost in my intentions, and please feel free to comment or question anything about my life, I never bring them up to keep them off limits to anyone.
Delete