L'Etranger!
I recently finished Camus' "The Stranger," and though it was very well done, I found its "point" almost illogically nihilistic, the product, perhaps, of an unsatisfying individual existence on the part of the author, and not necessarily a well-reasoned take on the human experience. I am of the opinion that indifference to one's own existence does not lead to a blissful existence, nor is it a legitimate shield against the cruelties of the world.
Self-awareness goes hand-in-hand with self-improvement, and self-improvement the reason for staying alive. Life is not "absurd" and I believe Camus is simply advocating emotional detachment as a means for never experiencing any sort of negative emotion. Even if the human emotional experience is ultimately a zero-sum endeavour, nothing is comparable to achieving a state of contentment that far surpasses what can only be described as utter impassivity. There is no inherent virtue is stoicism, unless not rocking the boat is considered virtuous.
And if one chooses to view Camus' absurdist ideology as an excuse to be self-destructive (which, in this case, is synonymous with being self-deceptive), the consequence is inevitably a state in which one accepts the way one is feeling, and decides to consider this accpetance as happiness. Absurdism, in this case, is flawed because it truly does remove any reason to continue living, as it is the conscious deprivation of everything that makes the human experience a worthwhile one.
Don't confuse this with bitterness or an inability to "have a good time;" I just don't think a "good time" has any real value. Perhaps absurdism is perfect for the non-analytical mind, or for people who think self-awareness is knowing what one ate for breakfast based on gastrointestinal regurgitations, but for anyone who has any sense of self, or cares about their self, don't, as they say, be a stranger.
Self-awareness goes hand-in-hand with self-improvement, and self-improvement the reason for staying alive. Life is not "absurd" and I believe Camus is simply advocating emotional detachment as a means for never experiencing any sort of negative emotion. Even if the human emotional experience is ultimately a zero-sum endeavour, nothing is comparable to achieving a state of contentment that far surpasses what can only be described as utter impassivity. There is no inherent virtue is stoicism, unless not rocking the boat is considered virtuous.
And if one chooses to view Camus' absurdist ideology as an excuse to be self-destructive (which, in this case, is synonymous with being self-deceptive), the consequence is inevitably a state in which one accepts the way one is feeling, and decides to consider this accpetance as happiness. Absurdism, in this case, is flawed because it truly does remove any reason to continue living, as it is the conscious deprivation of everything that makes the human experience a worthwhile one.
Don't confuse this with bitterness or an inability to "have a good time;" I just don't think a "good time" has any real value. Perhaps absurdism is perfect for the non-analytical mind, or for people who think self-awareness is knowing what one ate for breakfast based on gastrointestinal regurgitations, but for anyone who has any sense of self, or cares about their self, don't, as they say, be a stranger.