Absurdism - Blog Posts

Aeneas taken by the Sibyl to the Underworld (Detail), 17th century. By Jacob Isaacsz. van Swanenburg

these are some books that i've bought recently. expecting lispector and camus of me should be common sense by now. and of course, literary theory. 🤍

[dear bird,

protect me.

the fall is too high. catch me.

i'm not ready to fly. eat me.

in your inside, take me.

don't leave me, so i can live in you.

see through you

what i can't be

be for two, for we, for i

and drown deep above

[in the vacuum.

jales.

Hi!!

I bought 4 books recently, 2 of them arrived today:

• o mito de sísifo - camus;

• exílios e poemas - james joyce.

As you know, I already read the myth of sysifus, but it was on kindle and i wanted to have the physical one. And the Joyce's, I never even had heard about it, but found it online and it sounds interesting.

Be kind to yourselves, fellas! 🤍🌧

On Sisyphus (And why Camus imagines him happy)

The story of Sisyphus is one that hits particularly close to home, and I'm sure I don't need to explain what it's about.

Similarly, Albert Camus' interpritation of the story, the one that ends with "One must imagine Sisyphus happy" has become pretty famous too, albiet more of a meme. There's a lot to unpack here, but I litterally have nothing better to do, so let's find out why Sisyphus is one lucky guy.

Sisyphus attempts to outsmart the gods, and as punishment, he must roll a boulder up a hill, knowing that it will roll back down once he reaches the top. Not only is that pretty funny, it also seems disgustingly similar to how modern life works. Doing laundry, waiting for the weekend, you name it.

It is a common thought that these things are tedious and eat up our limited time on earth, thus making us miserable. With that mindset, you would imagine Sisyphus as the most miserable human on earth. After all, he has been condemned to spending the rest of his life only working a menial task without any reward or meaning with the task at hand.

This was undoubtedly what the gods had in mind when they handed out this punishment, but Camus claims that it isn't all that bad. Personally, the line in "The Myth of Sisyphus" (which is the essay Camus wrote on the matter) that sticks with me the most is: "One always finds [their] burden", which I try to remember before I make a decision that supposedly will make my life easier.

After all, the people wealth large enough to never have to partake in work or laundry or any of these things do not enjoy a perpetual state of bliss and unconcern (unconcern is apperently a word). Their burdens simply lie elsewhere.

What am I getting at with all this? Well, I'm saying that, provided he was given enough time to accept his situation, Sisyphus wouldn't actually be happier if he was one day let back into the world and relieved of his boulder hauling duties. He would probably be happy for a while, but he would eventually find his burden, and go back to hauling a now metaphorical boulder.

So far we've established why Sisyphus would be equally miserable with or without his boulder, but why then is Sisyphus supposed to be happy?

Well, it basically boils down to a misleading segway. See, Sisyphus doesn't have to be miserable when he hauls that shitty boulder. It sounds insane, and Camus even states the absurdity of it. But if Sisyphus wanted to defy the gods one last time, could he? Could he end up happier than before he even got his punishment and end up with the last laugh? Yes, he could, and here's how.

The key is not to recognise the abusrdity of the situation. Instead of thinking about what a waste of time and how meaningless this task is, Sisyphus must instead do the opposite: Attempt to do the task to his absoloute best ability, without yielding to the idea that this task is, inherently, meaningless.

Should he succeed in this fundemental rework of his way of thinking, he will start enjoying the work. See, humans have a deep need to do a good job. When you procrastinate, or cut corners, or whatever, you will feel a tiny hit of misery (probably shame). That's just how we work. But the opposite applies too. If you truly commit to your task, no matter how meaningless or ineffecient it is, you will get a tiny reward.

If Sisyphus decides to push that boulder with all his might, every day, knowing damn well it will roll down again, he will be happy. He has defied his own misery, and found meaning in the most meaningless of tasks. And when the boulder rolls down, he will breathe a satisfied sigh, and walk back down to start pushing again.

Sounds pretty absurd, huh? One must imagine the people that are free to do menial tasks everyday happy? Well, you are free to imagine anyone any way you like. But I certainly imagine Sisyphus happy, along with any garbage worker and bus driver that find joy in their work.

I call this one “ATTN: LEFTOVERS FROM CONFERENCE IN KITCHEN TO THOSE INTERESTED” 🥖 . . . #bnwphotography #bnw #absurdism #absurdphotograph #absurdbnw #thanksforhalfofyourbun #havesomebread

Reading Le Myth de Sisyphe and going “what the hell my guy” every line.

To be alive is to dance on the edge of oblivion, to feel the weight of existence pressing down upon us, even as we reach for the stars.

… in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world

So many people disregard Camus as cold, detached, cynical.

But I ask you, what is a cynic, if not a broken romantic?

“Find meaning. Distinguish melancholy from sadness. Go out for a walk. It doesn't have to be a romantic walk in the park, spring at its most spectacular moment, flowers and smells and outstanding poetical imagery smoothly transferring you into another world. It doesn't have to be a walk during which you'll have multiple life epiphanies and discover meanings no other brain ever managed to encounter. Do not be afraid of spending quality time by yourself. Find meaning or don't find meaning but "steal" some time and give it freely and exclusively to your own self. Opt for privacy and solitude. That doesn't make you antisocial or cause you to reject the rest of the world. But you need to breathe. And you need to be.”

// Albert Camus, from “Notebooks, 1951-1959”

An interesting, random parralel coming to my mind...

/ A key, not a piano-key!! /

"In this world, some people born are like keys that move the world and exist having no connection to the social hierarchy established by man."

-Griffith (Berserker)

~ Theater of Life

King/QueenMaker

"I am moving in the shadows, like a subtle power from behind, like a counselor, a kingmaker, waiting for the right time to come. At least this is what I want to become, to use my potential to reach this level, but I am way too far from it right now. I need to become a challenger and rise the ranks from behind, silently."

Masters and Slaves - Shepherd and Sheeps

"I am not necessarily a respecter of the rulers, but I am neither willing to stay a sheep. If I could, I would stay out of it all, but it is an innate part of human nature and existence, and I would rather become strong enough to cut the strings or even set up my own theater rather than staying a puppet."

Art of Dying

"I don't want to live in fear, anxiety, and I don't want to have regrets. I want to live boldly, to face the Sun, walk through the fire, embrace life, and if the time comes, to perish gracefully."

/ Just talking to myself - Self analysis on my dual nature /

~ Maybe everything will reach a pointless end. Maybe there is no purpose in this existence, it is all futile. Maybe it is the last encore, without an afterlife. Maybe all we have is this last one shot. Why not find or create your own meaning? Why not make it beautiful and fill it with love and joy? Why should we fuck up it all? Why not turn it all into a prosperous, aesthetic ending?

Enjoy together the last encore!

/ Domus Aurea /

What if dysfunctionalities are the only sane way of living? What if abnormalities are the only norm? What if all social constructs are the most insane structures laid out to live an ideal life? What if objective reality never existed and it was a mere hallucination? What if they could hear the music Nietzsche was talking about?

-Her Schrödinger's Cat, Third Insight