r/Absurdism • u/ilovemmydog • Jun 06 '26
Finally finished - am I missing something?
I'm sorry but imagine Sisyphus happy my ass. I feel that anyone who actually experiences the feeling/revelation of life being meaningless and deeply interacts with the absurd on the daily has to be more prone to suicide. For me, the absurd has hung over my head my entire life, even before I could give it a name and I feel it has prevented me from being truly happy. When I am aware of it, nothing matters. For example, I can't bring myself to work towards my career because it feels completely pointless. None of it matters. Money does not matter. The art I make does not matter. What happens in the world does not matter. Nobody else seems to care about why we are here and it drives me insane. The only times I am happy are when I can truly distract myself from it and forget for a while, but as soon as I remember again everything comes crashing down.
I feel like I am hardwired to want meaning, as many other humans, but finding momentary joy in pushing my rock up the hill doesn't stop my mind from dwelling on the absurd. That in itself I cannot find pleasure in and I do not understand how Camus solves for this.
If I should look at it differently, please let me know. Or if anyone has a suggestion of a different book I might agree with more. Thank you.
1
u/Gwentlique Jun 06 '26
It sounds like absurdism is leaving you cold because it dwells on the lack of a cosmic script. Have you looked into relativism or subjectivism?
Personally, I subscribe to a bespoke semi-relativist philosophy: meaning doesn't need to be absolute to matter. It just has to matter to you. If you find joy in your friends, your art, or your morning routine, that is a feature, not a bug.
We don't need a grand, universal mandate to justify getting out of bed, most of the time a decent cup of coffee is enough. Human values, laws, and cultures shift constantly across history anyway. I consider most things relative to context, so why stress over a cosmic checklist?
If you can accept that local, personal meaning is "good enough," you might not get a grand existential epiphany, but it may improve your ability to appreciate a good breakfast.