"The absurd does not liberate; it binds. It does not authorize all actions. "Everything is permitted" does not mean that nothing is forbidden… The only conception of freedom I can have is that of the prisoner or the individual in the midst of the State. The only one I know is freedom of thought and action."
~ Albert Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus”, 1942
In his seminal 1960 essay, critic Martin Esslin coined the term "Theatre of the Absurd” to describe the work of playwrights who produced work that sought to express the human condition when existence seemingly has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down. During these times, the philosopher playwrights proposed that logical construction and reasoned argument eventually surrender to irrational and illogical speech and in due course reaches the ultimate conclusion, that being silence. People cannot communicate because there are no guidelines or context for understanding, nothing means anything and anything can mean everything.
The book from which I drew the opening quote, “The Myth of Sisyphus” provides an interesting perspective on our current times.
In it, Camus introduces his definition of the philosophy of the absurd, which he extolls is rooted in man's futile search for meaning, unity, and clarity in the face of an unintelligible world devoid of God, eternal truths, and transcendent values. He likens this quest to Sisyphus, a man who stole secrets from the gods
“The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.”
Camus comes to the conclusion that man must find meaning in such repetitive and futile tasks, asserting there is true meaning and happiness there. He writes: “The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart” and that “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
I agree with him – to a point. I believe one can find contentment and happiness in thankless, mind-numbingly repetitive, soul-crushingly tedious tasks ONLY when one deduces such tasks are not without value. However, there are situations in our contemporary society which defy the meaning of being purposeful, having value, and as such have a true absurdist bent.
People have seemingly stopped trying to understand the natural world. They wish to ignore reality by redefining it to fit their desires to eviscerate any semblance of rules or order. Each sex seeking to “identify” as the other, people of one race “identifying” as one they are not, lies passed off as truth, opinions as fact – these are all examples of undisciplined minds succumbing to absurdity and giving up the search for reality, reason, and truth. Cutting through the absurdity of our times is a frustratingly tedious endeavor.
We are witness to an absurdist rebellion against nature, an uprising of the simple minded, where ridiculous platitudinous theory spouted by pseudo-intellectual automatons substitutes for true scholarship and wisdom. It is a revolt of intellectually immature children, speaking nonsense and receiving accolades from the ignorant madding crowd, the crowd itself consisting of slaves to emotion rather than masters of logic and reason.
Camus noted, “Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle.”
The upside to this world, if there is one, is that its upkeep is exhausting. As the old saying goes, truth will out and if there is truth in the world, it is represented in the laws of nature, and as part of nature, humans are subject to those laws. Sooner or later, absurdity collapses under the weight of truth.
Rudyard Kipling wrote in “The Gods of the Copybook Headings”:
“As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!”
It's hard to argue that we're not living in the theatre of the absurd.
...But, reality cannot be denied forever.
Many days I just want to crawl back in bed with a good book. Take a reprieve from thinking or caring. A recharge, as it were, to be able to get back to it and deal.with "life it's own self."
Your thoughtful writings are always valued.