Absurdism: The Philosophy That Changed My Mindset

It might change yours too

A daily thought I used to wake up and sleep to. The days felt all the same and the food started to taste pale. I’ve done everything that I was asked to do.

Got good grades, was admitted into a good university, and landed the perfect job.

When I was younger, I felt full of life. Who cares if I scored 60% on my physics exam, I’ll just perform better in the next one. Who cares if a couple of people stopped talking to me, I’ll just make more friends. I studied, played and took time to read books.

As I reach my 20’s, all those things that once did not move a needle, were a lasting cyclone in my mind. The cycle of life started to turn into a mouse’s maze where no matter how much you tried, you could not escape.

Wake up, go to work, come back, sleep.

You repeat the cycle and think to yourself — “Is this it?”

You’ve reached an emotional state where nothing matters but here is what I read that might just help you get a different outlook on life

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion”. — Albert Camus

Absurdism

This philosophy is as simple as it sounds.

Life is absurd.

You are born in a world where the rules have already been laid down. If you try to spread your wings there are people beside you who will cut them even before you learn how to fly. You work, you eat, you do everything but forget to answer that one important question — are you happy?

Absurdism is a philosophical outlook that explores the contradiction between the human desire for meaning and the indifferent, chaotic nature of the universe.

The life you live is irrational and sometimes devoid of true meaning/purpose. We think that life is tragic because it is wretched and constantly find ways to blame others, making us bitter.

Absurdism does not fight to tell you the meaning of life, on the contrary, it just states that there is no meaning in life.

Wait, So How is This a Philosophy?

When you’ve been forced to find meaning in life, you pull your hair out to search for it. You try to find it in hobbies, in your monochrome jobs and sometimes in other people too. When you’re unable to find it, you tend to experience all those negative emotions of nothingness.

So what if I tell you that you don’t ‘need’ to find a meaning? What if there is no meaning and the journey is more important than the lesson it teaches?

I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world.

At its core, absurdism acknowledges the contradictions and irrationalities of the human condition. It recognizes that life is inherently meaningless and devoid of inherent value. You don’t come into this life with a purpose defined — the journey becomes fun when you try to give it meaning itself.

Instead of succumbing to nihilism or despair, absurdism invites us to confront the absurdity of existence head-on and find meaning in the face of chaos.