16 Aug Living life amidst the absurd
Just yesterday, I met with one of my mentees, and among other things we found our way to discussing some of life’s many difficulties. We ventured into a discussion about how to manage these challenges, but I also encouraged him to consider living WITH the struggles, because there will ALWAYS be struggles, and to think otherwise can lead to false hope, and then frustration and disappointment.
Throughout this all, I was reminded of a section in one of my Audible Original audiobooks, “Habits for Greatness”, in which I share what I believe to be a number of great life lessons from great people, including artists and creators, religious leaders, philosophers and more.
And possibly my favourite section is about “absurdism”, a lesser known philosophy but one that’s proven very helpful for me. And so today, I thought I’d share that short part of the audiobook (but if you’re interested in listening to the “Habits for Greatness” in full, just click HERE).
Lesson 2: Existentialism / Absurdism
Before we step into the absurd, let’s look at the bigger picture. Absurdism is usually considered within the context of Existentialism. The simplest definition of existentialism is that it’s a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence. And that, for many thinkers, is a BIG problem (or rather, a number of big problems).
Sharing some common ground with the aforementioned nihilism, existentialism involves a significant degree of angst, or a sense of dread associated with the apparent meaninglessness of the world. But existentialism and nihilism are not the same. Yes, they both include elements of angst and confusion, and despair at the way they perceive the world. But existential philosophers tend to be more encouraging of persistence in the face of meaninglessness and the absurd, as well as believing in the principles of morality and ethics.
Which brings me to the notion of the absurd, most strongly associated with the French writer and philosopher, Albert Camus.
Again, similar to the notion of nihilism, absurdism contains the idea that there is no meaning in the world beyond what meaning we give it. But where it differs from nihilism, is in how it suggests we approach or deal with this lack of meaning.
For active or positive nihilists, the goal is to create our own meaning and purpose, to determine the values by which we want to live and then to live by them. For anyone wanting to try the challenge of embracing absurdism, the goal is more about accepting the lack of meaning for what it is: to face up to the incongruities and impossibilities of life. It’s not about making sense of life; it’s about making a life without sense.
For absurdists, humans are quite simply incompatible with the world we inhabit. This makes life inherently absurd, and pretending it’s anything other than this will only cause distress. We need to stop fighting, Camus argues, against that which is.
When you think about it this is not dissimilar to the Buddhist notion of the inevitability of suffering. Are you familiar with the Four Noble Truths? We can’t deny the reality of the existence of suffering, so we should instead accept it and then deal with it by understanding the root cause, or causes, and eliminate them as best we can.
Camus would definitely agree with the first step or two. Why try to change the way the world is? Why not accept that the world is just absurd, confusing and incompatible with our way of existence? Camu suggests that if we can do this, we can live with a greater freedom and have a greater chance of enjoying some happiness.
Happiness, therefore, comes from accepting the absurd! It comes from giving up our attempts to make sense of the senseless, to understand the incomprehensible, to clarify that which is not clear. Herein also lies a possible crossover with Taoism. In a way that’s similar to the Taoist recommendation to ‘let go‘ or to ‘let be’, maybe we need to give up in order to take control.
Absurdism is NOT a philosophy of despair, or an approach that’s grim or depressing. Rather, in accepting that there’s no inherent meaning in a chaotic and meaningless world, we can be free. Free from illusions of control and free from unrealistic expectations.
Camus’s most famous illustration of the absurd was his version of the story of Sisyphus. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the king of Ephyra, and was punished for cheating death (twice!) by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down every time it neared the top. His destiny was to repeat this daily labour for all of eternity.
On the surface, Sisyphus’s fate appears futile and downright depressing. But for Camus, it was simply a metaphor of life; a metaphor that, in some ways, describes all of our lives. Rather than being depressing, Camus asked us to consider imagining Sisyphus smiling. What if, facing and accepting the reality and repetitiveness of his fate, Sisyphus was able to enjoy the task with which he was faced, day after day, in a state of acceptance. Because if we can imagine that, if we can imagine a smiling Sisyphus, then surely we can imagine ourselves smiling through our own, at times absurd lives.
In summary, then, the great idea of absurdism is to stop seeking for or working to create meaning and instead to find the freedom and joy that comes from accepting the chaotic and ridiculous. How does one do this? Well, to break this down into some practical tips, how about you give some serious thought to the following:
– First, reflect on your definition of absurd and/or chaos. Do these have negative connotations for you? If so, how can you think of these realities in a helpful, positive way?
– Ask yourself what your life would be like and how you’d feel if you were to stop fighting reality, if you were to cease all efforts to make things better or to fix yourself and the world around you?
– Don’t see this in a negative way, as though you’re giving up, but more so in the context of Sisyphus smiling. What if you could look at all the various aspects of the world you don’t understand, don’t like and/or don’t agree with and then… let them be?
– Ultimately, work towards accepting and embracing uncertainty. At the heart of absurdism is the notion that we are, by nature, curious beings. So we strive to understand but at the end of the day, there’s so much about our world that’s beyond our understanding.
– Imagine being OK with that!
There are many others who’ve captured the essence of this far better than I can and, dare I say it, better in some ways even than Camus. The great actor and comedian Charlie Chaplin once said: ‘To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it’. Therefore, our lesson here might be to laugh at the absurdity of life.
Just as powerfully, Mark Twain has been quoted as observing that ‘… against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand’. So, when life seems incomprehensible and you’re struggling to find a way, find a way to laugh and all before you will become clear.