“Well. That’s absurd.”
It seems that particular phrase can be pointed at many things these days. I know I have certainly said it quite a bit since 2016.
But truth be told. I like the word itself.
Absurd.
It is an adjective used to describe something as wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate.
You know. Preposterous, ridiculous, ludicrous, farcical.
But as I was skating around the internet the other day, I happened across a branch of philosophy that caught my eye. Apparently, there is an entire movement dedicated to Absurdism.
As described in the Land Of Wiki:
“Absurdism is the philosophical theory that existence, in general, is absurd. This implies that the world lacks meaning or a higher purpose and is not fully intelligible by reason.”
As I read, I found some things that totally line up with how I think. For instance, a bulk of the theory obviously focuses on just how absurd so much of our world is.
An essential part of the “absurd” viewpoint concerns the seriousness people bring toward life. People are terribly serious about so many things in life. Their attitudes are seen all over the place. Either outright or alluded to. Social media is a great venue for witnessing this “seriousness.”
Many people are completely concerned with fame, wealth, and pleasure. Some are focused on prosperity. Then there are the more noble areas of focus, such as justice, knowledge, or survival.
But, in absurdism, it is pointed out that there seems to be a discrepancy between how serious we take our lives — and how arbitrary our lives are. Not only that — but how arbitrary the world at large seems to be. (Albert Camus is one notable Absurdist.)
Much of the philosophy hinges around caring. They suggest that it is absurd that people continue to care about these matters even though they seem to lack importance on an objective level.
I just had this conversation with someone about our culture and the concern for sports. People adore their “teams.” They cling to their teams. They obsess and watch them on TV. At times, they cheer. And in some cases, they fight. They wear the jerseys. They post campaigns on social media. People immerse themselves in support of their “Tigers” or “Hornets” or “Rebels.” They become emotionally spent if their team loses. But for what? What difference does it make in our lives? What impact does the outcome of that game bear upon our existence? None, I say. It is absurd to think otherwise. (Go Steelers! Go Chiefs!)
So this collision exists between these two sides — how much importance people place on these things — and how unimportant they really are. Again. Absurd.
But. All philosophies have their potholes, I think.
Such is the case with this one.
I think much of life truly IS important to care about. I also believe so much of our world is important.
I don’t know to what end “being a good person” will come. I am not sure — not totally — about its impact. But it is important for me to believe that putting forth “good energy” into this world is making a difference. I care about this. I think it is important. So in that way, I’m not such a good Absurdist.
I know it is a big place out there. The Universe. And I am simply a very little me.
But with that? I’m going to try to make my very little difference in the biggest way I can. Whether it is absurd or not.
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“Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable.”
― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
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“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”
― Niels Bohr
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“Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world”
— Roald Dahl
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Life? Absurd? They say so. They do.
