Does anyone else wondeR?

So, I've been re-reading the Myth of Sisyphus by Camus and it has me wondering a few things. I already know these things subconsciously and it only occurs to me maybe every two weeks.

Let us discount a higher being and reincarnation. Lets discount heaven or hell. At base value, what are we really doing with our lives? I see "get a life" "living rent free" "beta"on these forums and It has me thinking that does our lives actually have any meaning. This is one of my favorite quotes/excepts from the book"

"But a moment always comes when we have to carry it.
We live on the future:

Not really, no

[QUOTE=!@#$%Vectors!@#]So, I've been re-reading the Myth of Sisyphus by Camus and it has me wondering a few things. I already know these things subconsciously and it only occurs to me maybe every two weeks.

Let us discount a higher being and reincarnation. Lets discount heaven or hell. At base value, what are we really doing with our lives? I see "get a life" "living rent free" "beta"on these forums and It has me thinking that does our lives actually have any meaning. This is one of my favorite quotes/excepts from the book"

"But a moment always comes when we have to carry it.
We live on the future:

I see some Aleksej Kirillov potential in you, OP.

Reminds me of:

[IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sW%2BIeFlNL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg[/IMG]

There are a lot of flawed assumptions in what you posted regarding and comparing our fate. Will we all die? Yes. That doesn't mean all our fates are equal to even the lowest of the low.

Man is primarily searching for meaning, happiness, companionship. Working, learning, making/meeting friends, finding a partner, improving oneself, making yourself a relevant person of your community/job/society.

All of those things can be achieved without a Herculean effort. It only takes a bit of drive. And they are very fulfilling.

If you are excluding a higher being/religion, then there isn't some grand fate design you have to complete, you just have to look for things that make you feel like you matter, and things that make you happy.

So let's not compare the fate of all to the one of a poor person. It's not close. At all. Unless you spend your time thinking of the hopelessness of it all and become despondent, and don't try to do/achieve anything in life.

i don't recall reading that book before, but the ideas sound extremely similar to ones i've worked out on my own time.

[quote]In the essay, Camus introduces his philosophy of the absurd: man's futile search for meaning, unity, and clarity in the face of an unintelligible world devoid of God and eternal truths or values.

Does the realization of the absurd require suicide? Camus answers: "No. It requires revolt."

The final chapter compares the absurdity of man's life with the situation of Sisyphus, a figure of Greek mythology who was condemned to repeat forever the same meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again. The essay concludes, "The struggle itself [...] is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy." --WP[/quote]
IMO he hits every nail on the head.

i think most of the things we moderns love to work for and congratulate ourselves upon are absurdly meaningless. but if and when you notice this mass psychosis going on all around you, that's when you step in to the doorway of "chapel perilous" as the late great robert anton wilson might have put it.

from there you either go bonkers, typically imagining conspiracies all around you, or you take the long, PITA path of seeing reality for what it is and finding the inner happiness that is elusive and unique to each of us.

i figure that by the time i'm done, i'll be about halfway there. :D

[QUOTE=Jasi]I see some Aleksej Kirillov potential in you, OP.[/QUOTE]

If you mean Kirillov from Demons :cheers: he is my favorite character in the book.

[QUOTE=!@#$%Vectors!@#]So, I've been re-reading the Myth of Sisyphus by Camus [/QUOTE]

:applause:

You read the Stranger yet? You ever watch the Sopranos? Perfect example of Camus' work being turned into a modern day story. I'm trying to do something similar myself.

Anyway, life has no inherent meaning. There is no 'after life', only life. One Live to Live. Make the most out of it because you only get one.

[QUOTE=Suguru101]There are a lot of flawed assumptions in what you posted regarding and comparing our fate. Will we all die? Yes. That doesn't mean all our fates are equal to even the lowest of the low.

Man is primarily searching for meaning, happiness, companionship. Working, learning, making/meeting friends, finding a partner, improving oneself, making yourself a relevant person of your community/job/society.

All of those things can be achieved without a Herculean effort. It only takes a bit of drive. And they are very fulfilling.

If you are excluding a higher being/religion, then there isn't some grand fate design you have to complete, you just have to look for things that make you feel like you matter, and things that make you happy.

So let's not compare the fate of all to the one of a poor person. It's not close. At all. Unless you spend your time thinking of the hopelessness of it all and become despondent, and don't try to do/achieve anything in life.[/QUOTE]

This used to occour once in a while and would be long quickly. But now, they occur way to often that all it does it gets me down. But I think the most agonzing thing about it is when you really put all your hardwork all the accomplishment into perspective it becomes difficult. I mean if I was toiling for the acceptance of a divine being then it wouldn't be of my own volition. Its just to forget and push away the realization that everything I'm doing is futile and will end the same way. I mean some people understand this and they are perfectly happy with it. They embrace it. but i just can't embrace knowing that almost all my lifes work and my dreams and aspirations are useless and will end in the same path.

[QUOTE=DonDadda59]:applause:

You read the Stranger yet? You ever watch the Sopranos? Perfect example of Camus' work being turned into a modern day story. I'm trying to do something similar myself.

Anyway, life has no inherent meaning. There is no 'after life', only life. One Live to Live. Make the most out of it because you only get one.[/QUOTE]

The stranger is the first book I read from Camus.

[QUOTE=gigantes]i don't recall reading that book before, but the ideas sound extremely similar to ones i've worked out on my own time.


IMO he hits every nail on the head.

i think most of the things we moderns love to work for and congratulate ourselves upon are absurdly meaningless. but if and when you notice this mass psychosis going on all around you, that's when you step in to the doorway of "chapel perilous" as the late great robert anton wilson might have put it.

from there you either go bonkers, typically imagining conspiracies all around you, or you take the long, PITA path of seeing reality for what it is and finding the inner happiness that is elusive and unique to each of us.

i figure that by the time i'm done, i'll be about halfway there. :D[/QUOTE]

Well I hope I reach a point where this realization or moments of realization stops filling me with melancholy and a feeling of uselessness.

[QUOTE=!@#$%Vectors!@#]Well I hope I reach a point where this realization or moments of realization stops filling me with melancholy and a feeling of uselessness.[/QUOTE]
ah, so you're in the middle of the maelstrom?

i can only give you a couple pieces of advice: 1) if / when you get through this phase, you will bloom in various ways that you never realised you were capable of, 2) the solution to this situation is of course always a personal solution, but it USUALLY involves taking the crappiest aspects of your life, letting them batter you for a while, and then finding all kinds of gold and precious materials from your experience of suffering.

[QUOTE=!@#$%Vectors!@#]If you mean Kirillov from Demons :cheers: he is my favorite character in the book.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, him of course.
Well I hope you don't end up identifying yourself too much with him :oldlol:

[QUOTE=Jasi]Yeah, him of course.
Well I hope you don't end up identifying yourself too much with him :oldlol:[/QUOTE]

No no. Kirillov possessed greatness of soul and spirit and undying love for his fellow man. i don't even come close.

Yeah, I mean everyone who can read a book goes through an existentialist phase these days.

Now Camus is basically correct as to the whole affair being meaningless except for the meaning we ourselves give to it. And yes, horrible things happen throughout, some of them might happen to you (and it won't be divine justice or anything like that, just purely random) and you will die in the end of it.

But Camus himself is not counseling despair - instead he wants to live life fully with a clear sense of purpose. Your mind has the power to create order amidst the chaos, so that most moments in your life will make sense to you...

Beyond Camus, my personal inspiration for how to find meaning in it all comes from Shakespeare:
"All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players"

Think of the universe as the ultimate theatre masterpiece of theatre - an always evolving play where everyone not only has a role, but also co-author status. Strive to be a great character within that play, I try to tell myself. Don't question why there is a play (it is bigger than you, you just happened to enter the stage for a brief moment) just enter its enchanting world and focus on playing your part(s).

The trick is, being present, focused like a "method" actor would be. Instead of wishing you were handed a different part, thinking about the ones the others have, make the absolute most out of yours, so that when the curtains come down, you won't even need the audience's applause - getting to play the part, every minute of every hour of every day, was what made it all worth it.

nick young is going off the rails