Yes, you are conscious of your existence and you think suicide will solve the absurdity and meaninglessness of it all. But have you considered your other alternatives?
You see, for Camus "there is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All other questions — whether there was truly three dimensions, whether we have nine or twelve categories in our minds, which is Sartre's good eye, these are secondary."
Camus takes this seriously and presents us with this idea of the reason why we offer ourselves. We do it because we are conscious of the absurdity of our world in our existence and we simply cannot take it anymore.
Suicide to him is confessing that life is too much for you or that you do not understand it. It is merely confessing that it is not worth the trouble.
Camus knows you're stronger than this. You know somewhere inside yourself you are stronger than this.
Have you ever considered the strength that you hold as a human being?
You are the universe attempting to figure itself out. Don't end it because you got confused; because these rules that other people made up don't happen to coincide with the way the universe is. Don't surrender to the absurdity.
Camus says that "in the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was, within me, an invincible summer."
Within every individual is this power to be happy, to enjoy life in the desert through existence.
Albert Camus knew this, and he knew that arguing with a suicidal nihilist will amount to no good if he tried to use any system of purpose because that's just not something you do with a nihilist.
"Life will be lived all the better if it has no meaning." - Albert Camus
But the suffering, Camus! What about the suffering? This is totally the absurd's fault, man!
And do you know what you should do?
— You should revolt against it, scorn it, but never deny its existence. You have to accept it scornfully.
But how?
YOU ARE READING
On Suicide
SpirituellesDiscussing the work of Albert Camus - "The Myth of Sisyphus"
