A sense of absurdity
Sisyphus, the classic Existentialist image for absurdity
There’s never been a stranger time to be human. Ever. And I think it's probably ALWAYS been strange, so that’s saying something. There’s a pervasive absurdity, and many of us sublimate it, which leads to avoidance and neurosis.
The concept of absurdity began to appear in philosophical literature around the time of the world wars. Closely related movements like surrealism and Dada came around the same time, with Existentialism in tow. We’re still in the wake of this and we haven’t yet worked through it. The world is only changing more quickly and giving us more vexing puzzles. Strap in and get used to the cognitive dissonance.
The time of the World Wars saw the practical end and/or reconfiguration of almost every ancient institution that gave Western Civilization structure and meaning. Monarchy. Serfdom. Religion. The Arts. The true end of an epoch. Any institutions that remain offer only a limited and vestigial certainty of perspective to help make sense of the human condition. And these are some seriously hallowed, sacred institutions we’re talking about.
Add to that the technological acceleration that has permitted the post-malthusian human population explosion, the baffling realization that human self-awareness seems to be a weird fluke of unguided evolution, and the self-defeating sense that our species-wide quest for what is termed “human flourishing” is bringing the world to the brink of ecological disaster, and you have a world-class recipe for gourmet absurdity within the human outlook. I mean, how could it be any other way?
I believe no one is immune to this. Listen to this through 1:27:07 to hear a couple very intelligent professors (unsuccessfully) struggle with it: https://youtu.be/HEZiwhNa54Y?t=4627
“You just have to be wishy-washy sometimes.” 🤣
And yet, existence keeps on. We keep on. Doing the human thing, trying to figure out what it’s all about and what activities will bring us the greatest and, above all, most meaningful return on our investment.
How are you doing with that?
Here’s the good news. That sense of absurdity is the beginning, not the end. It’s the beginning of wonder, pondering, admitting that you don’t have all the answers, and that you’re here to search. I find time and time again that this sense of absurdity is actually the entry point to a wellspring of inspiration that comes from realizing that, in this time and place, as perhaps never before in the human condition, we can make our own meaning, and that we have more resources, tools, worldviews, frameworks, and approaches than any human has had at any previous point in history. Let not your heart be troubled. Rejoice in the goodness that is your life.
It’s a strange quirk of the human spirit that we despair when all problems are solved. And today we are as close as we’ve ever been. So, what are we here to do?
It’s a good question. And the answer is twofold:
Rest into existence itself. Philosophers have a fancy word for the study of existence, “ontology”. The more people I talk to, the more I find who have a sense of ontology and speak it like a native language - the surreality and unlikeliness of existence. The feeling that we’re all emanating from some unseen, energetic source, and that it’s miraculous and strange. When the absurdity overwhelms you, rest into and delight in your sense of ontology, that is, mere/pure existence.
Look for new problems and pursuits. Part of the sublimated absurdity we feel is that no matter how much history unfolds, we will perpetually have more problems to solve. This is actually ideal. I call it the ideal of imperfectability. We will NEVER get to the destination. Remember, we would despair if we did. So, rest into your unique perspective. What do you see that is calling out for improvement? That’s your purpose, at least for now. See? Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!
But maybe you need some help with that. Let’s talk.