It's been an entire 20 years since I last delved into the profound pages of The Myth of Sisyphus. Ever since I joined Goodreads, I've had this burning desire to pen a review about it. However, the reality is that my memory of the book has faded significantly.

Every time I peruse through my books-read list and notice it lingering there, unreviewed, a strong urge to write a review wells up within me. But then, I'm abruptly reminded that I simply don't know the book well enough. This realization forces me to abandon the idea.

A few months pass, and the cycle repeats itself. It's almost as if I'm engaged in a Sisyphean task, pushing the proverbial boulder up the hill only to have it roll back down time and time again. I keep trying, yet the result remains the same. Oh, how I wish I could recall the essence and details of what this book was truly about.

Perhaps one day, I'll find the courage and determination to re-read The Myth of Sisyphus and finally give it the review it deserves. Until then, I'll continue to grapple with this sense of unfinished business.

In a post-God (or perhaps more precisely, a post-afterlife) society, there are really beautiful and thoughtful essays that explore profound questions.

What should one do with the absurdity that pervades life? How does one come to terms with the seemingly senseless events and experiences that occur?

And why live at all in such a context? These are the questions that these essays grapple with.

They offer various perspectives and insights, some suggesting that we should find meaning in the present moment, others advocating for the pursuit of personal passions and dreams.

Some argue that we should embrace the absurdity and find beauty and humor within it, while others believe that we must create our own purpose and values in a world without a preordained plan.

Ultimately, these essays remind us that in a post-God society, the responsibility for finding meaning and purpose in life lies with each of us.

We must look within ourselves and make the choices that will give our lives significance and value.

Albert Camus provides an extensive introduction and expansion on his ideas of the Absurd, which shines a light on the aspects of his protagonist Mersault in the other famous modern novel, The Stranger.

Camus' ideas about revolt, freedom, and passion inspire one to persevere in a world where there is a disjunction between the human longing for absolute rationality and the reality that such rationality is beyond our comprehension. He seems to reject hope in a rather bleak manner, yet he still concludes, within the 86 pages of exposition, that "the point is to live."

Refusing to play by the rules of the game that the Absurd presents to us is both a literal and philosophical suicide. Camus refers to the seducer Don Juan's insatiable desire, the futility of the actor's multiple short lives, and the conqueror's recognition that they too will be conquered.

The writer's "ephemeral creation" is similarly pointless, but by starting with a clear indifference, the human being liberates himself. A constant awareness of the Absurd, and yet living anyway, is the ultimate revolt. This is exemplified by Sisyphus, the ultimate Absurd hero who is condemned to push that boulder up the hill forever, with no end in sight to his fate.

However, Camus believes that in his brief descent down the mountain, Sisyphus becomes superior to his fate and overcomes the power of the Gods. The question then arises: in some awareness of the Absurd, do we overcome it? Or is revolting against it both true and exactly what the Absurd requires of us?

Clearly, this book has offered a great deal to think about. I have come to appreciate the style of modern literature, which I had previously dismissed with a touch of condescension, I must admit. The book is thoroughly enjoyable, yet also quite dense. I still believe that even reading a few pages of it is sufficient to raise a multitude of internal questions, and I encourage you to examine it, albeit with caution and constant critique.

I still vividly remember my writing class in my first semester of college. Our professor was a lover of paradoxes.

She had us read Kafka and Borges, whom none of us could understand. And she had a habit of asking impossible questions—such as “What does it mean to be infinitely finite?”—and savoring the uncomfortable silences that followed. Once, she even scared us half to death by asking one of these questions, and then yelping like a banshee half a minute later. She was quite a good professor.

The final section of this iconic essay was among the readings she assigned. Of course I did not understand a word of it. I was nowhere near mature enough to wrap my mind around the idea of absurdism. The “meaning of life” was not a problem for me at that time. Surrounded as I was by thousands of potential friends and girlfriends—free for the first time in my life to do as I pleased—such a confrontation with nihilism was beyond the horizons of my mental life.

Four years later, when I graduated college with thousands of dollars in debt, confronted with the possibility of deciding “Who I Wanted to Be,” things were different. Probably I should have read this book at that time, when I could so keenly feel the weight of life’s pointlessness. Or maybe I should have read it a year later, when I was working in an office job. Humankind has seldom plunged deeper into the void than in entry-level positions.

I mention this biographical background because I think this book should likely not be read during a time of relative stability and contentedness, such as I am in now. We seldom pause to ponder the “meaning of life” when we are enjoying ourselves. The problem of “philosophical suicide” is not a problem at all on beautiful summer days. It is only a problem on cold, rainy Tuesday nights, in the few minutes of mental calm between work, chores, sleep, and work the next day. Unfortunately, such Tuesdays come all too often in this world of ours.

My point is simply that I would have enjoyed this essay far more under more propitious circumstances. Albert Camus’s style is well-calculated to please: a winsome mixture of anecdote, philosophy, literary criticism, and poetry. Certainly it is a relief after dragging my way through Sartre’s tortured syntax and cumbersome verbiage. Camus, by contrast, is concise and stylish. My only reservation is that, for all his accessibility, Camus is not perfectly clear. I say this from the perspective of somebody trying to read his essay as a philosophical work. All philosophy consists in argument; and in order to accept or reject an argument, one must use clearly defined terms. With Camus, however, I was never quite sure what his criteria were for considering something absurd or meaningful—his two central categories.

This is perhaps the wrong way to read Camus. What he was trying to create was arguably more in the tradition of wisdom literature than formal philosophy. From this perspective, the essay is somewhat more satisfying. However, here too I found Camus lacking. One extracts more piquant lessons in the art of life from Montaigne or La Rochefoucauld than from Camus. Where Camus excels these authors is not in wisdom per se, but in capturing a certain mood, a mood peculiar to modern times: being intellectually and spiritually adrift. After all of the traditional systems of belief which underpinned life have crumbled, it is the crushing realization that one is unable to justify anything, even life itself. In this peculiar vein, Camus is difficult to beat.

Even so, I wonder if this iconic essay adds anything essential to that famous remark of Pascal: “Man is only a reed, the weakest in nature, but he is a thinking reed.” Camus’s Sisyphus is the twin brother of Pascal’s thinking reed—the plaything of an indifferent universe, and yet dignified by his consciousness. In his more despairing moments, Pascal may have been quite as horrified by the vast spectacle of an indifferent cosmos as Camus: “The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me.” The essential difference between these two men is not their realization of humanity’s insignificance, but their reactions. Pascal seeks to escape this conclusion any way he can, bolstering his faith with every fallacious argument under the sun. Camus was innovative in his insistence that we must calmly accept this situation, taking it as a starting point and not as a depressing conclusion.

My main criticism with this essay is that, if life has no inherent meaning, and the universe is nothing but a cold expanse, this throws the question of the “meaning of life” back upon each individual. Answering that question definitively, for every person, becomes de facto impossible. But, again, perhaps Camus is not trying to prove anything universal. Rather, his essay is a sort of invitation to abandon the traditional justifications of life, and to focus, as Camus himself did, on the smaller joys—sunlight, the sea, travel. The rest of the essays in this collection may be seen in that light, as enlarging upon Camus’s omnivorous curiosity for his surroundings.

What bothers me is that I do not agree with Camus’s opening assertion: I do not think the most pressing question is whether we should all just commit suicide. To the contrary, once this question is decided in the negative, it opens up a world of far more interesting issues.

I'm gonna have to reread this one.

The lack of a full understanding doesn't take away from the elegance of Camus' prose or from the pure poetry of his descriptions.

The Myth of Sisyphus is truly a remarkable work that is worth five stars for its artistic merit alone.

Camus' insistence on the work's descriptive function, rather than a persuasive one, serves the essay extremely well.

It allows the readers to immerse themselves in the vivid and profound world he creates through his words.

This book is like a lemon that you have to squeeze over and over to fully appreciate its contents.

Just as with a lemon, the more you squeeze, the more of its essence and flavor is revealed.

Similarly, a proper review of The Myth of Sisyphus isn't possible after a single read.

It requires multiple readings and a deep exploration of its themes and ideas to truly understand and appreciate the depth and significance of this masterpiece.

Each time you read it, you may discover something new and gain a different perspective, making it a continuously engaging and thought-provoking work.

Most of my friends will probably think I'm being sarcastic when I call this as good a "self-help" book as any I can imagine.

However, this essay has truly inspired in me an awe of human nature and its absurd indomitability. I believe Camus has received an unfair reputation for being a cold, detached pessimist who merely points out the meaninglessness of life repeatedly in his works.

It's true that he may declare life "meaningless," but this book passionately affirms life in the face of that void. Starting as a refutation of suicide, the essay encourages an embrace of the absurdity of life and the rejection of hope for a future life (or afterlife) as the only ways to live with any freedom or happiness.

Although I don't ultimately agree with all of his thinking, and if you're at all religious, you should probably spare yourself the agitation of reading this, yet viewing human nature and activity through his eyes in this book has been extremely rewarding. It has made me look at life from a different perspective and has given me a new appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the human experience.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in exploring the deeper questions of life and human nature.

After almost 4 weeks, I’ve finally finished this book.

It may be less than 150 pages but it is dense, with a lot to unpack and lots of references.

In The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus aims to explain his Absurdist philosophy and how it interacts with works and ideas by his philosophical and literary contemporaries.

The book is split into 3 parts (An Absurd Reasoning, The Absurd Man and Absurd Creation) and its epilogue, the titular Myth of Sisyphus.

Camus' absurdism is often associated with existentialism, as both have the foundational belief that there is no meaning in the universe.

But while existentialism reclaims power by asserting that this means we can make our own meanings, absurdism argues that to try and make meaning where there is not is fundamentally absurd, and we must accept the meaninglessness of the universe.

I really enjoyed the first part, An Absurd Reasoning, which is where Camus explains his Absurd.

However, we run into one of the problems that makes this book hard to read: its referential nature.

Knowledge about the works of Nietzsche, Jaspers, Sartre, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Chestov, Husserl, Dostoyevsky, and Camus himself would help you understand the context of this book and greatly enhance your reading experience.

I, however, lack this deep background knowledge.

While I still enjoyed it and resonated with Camus’ ideas, it definitely feels like I’m missing the full experience.

The second part, The Absurd Man kinda lost me.

I understand the broad strokes of what Camus is saying but I felt a little disconnected from the text.

It could have been due to my mood or mindset though.

Having to read this for uni definitely made me force myself through this part of the text.

I enjoyed the third part a lot, Absurd Creation, as Camus muses on if the mission of creating an Absurd work is possible.

Here, he analyses Dostoyevsky (Diary of a Writer, The Possessed, The Brothers Karamazov) and Kafka (The Trial, The Castle, Metamorphosis).

Again, mileage will vary on your own level of background knowledge on these works.

While I haven’t read any of these books, which also means I had to have them spoiled, I really enjoyed the analysis of Dostoyevsky and it makes me want to read his work even more.

Kafka, however, lost me, particularly as Camus talks about The Castle, which I’ve never heard of until now.

I really enjoyed the titular epilogue and it felt like a rewarding conclusion to the book.

If time permits, I would love to rewatch my lectures and then reread this book slowly.

I genuinely feel like you can gain a lot from reading this, and I’m personally very interested in reading more from Camus and the Existentialists.

If you are interested in reading this book, I would recommend doing so when you are able to take your time with reading and annotating it (if that’s your thing), and to have Google on standby.

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The Myth and Happiness

Existential thoughts seem to descend upon our lives with an almost eerie exact timing. These profound essays arrived precisely when I needed them, delving into the concepts of the absurd, the meaning, and yes, the happiness of a vivid life. The exploration of these ideas is both captivating and challenging. We are faced with statements like "Since nothing is proved, everything can be proved," which forces us to question the very nature of truth and certainty. And then there is "Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable," making us ponder the often-conflicting pursuits of truth and our own desires. In this complex web of existential musings, we are left to grapple with the question of how to find happiness in a world that sometimes seems so full of contradictions and uncertainties. It is a journey that requires us to look deep within ourselves and question our most fundamental beliefs and values.

Eerlijk? Boeie!

This simple phrase holds a world of meaning.

Eerlijk means honest in Dutch. It implies truthfulness, integrity, and fairness.

When we ask "Eerlijk?" we are seeking the truth, wondering if something is genuine or if someone is being sincere.

Boeie, on the other hand, is an exclamation that can express surprise, excitement, or even a sense of being amazed.

It adds an element of emphasis to the question of honesty.

Together, "Eerlijk? Boeie!" creates a powerful combination that makes us stop and think about the importance of honesty in our lives.

Are we always being honest with ourselves and others?

Do we expect the same level of honesty from those around us?

These are important questions to consider as we navigate through life.

In a world where dishonesty seems to be all too common, we must strive to be honest in all our dealings.

Only then can we build trust, form meaningful relationships, and live a life of integrity.

So, the next time you hear someone ask "Eerlijk? Boeie!", take a moment to reflect on the importance of honesty and make a commitment to be true to yourself and others.

Dear viewers, we are here to serve you. Today, our guest on the program is Mr. Albert Camus. Welcome to this program, Mr. Camus.

+ I offer my greetings and salutations to all.

- Well, let's start. Can you briefly, usefully, and without frills define the concept of the absurd?

+ Nostalgia for unity.

- Hmm, well, no, something a bit clearer in Persian, more fluid and contemporary, please explain.

+ The gap between man's expectations and the realities of the world.

- I understand what you want to say but I'm not getting it!

Well, let's see what role this nostalgia has in the middle of it all? That is, does the absurd have a connection to the longing for our past memories and experiences?

+ Very good, so let's go back to the first line. You see, my definition of the word nostalgia is a bit different from what has been formulated... Note that man is always in life in search of where he belongs. He pursues a meaning and a goal so that he can define himself with it and move towards self-knowledge, his essential being, and his place in the world. But the truth is that the more he seeks, the more he becomes aware of "the distance between what he wants from the world and what the world can offer him", and the greater this distance, the further from the answer.

Nostalgia for unity, in other words, is a feeling of longing and an unquenched thirst to merge and become one with a goal, with a meaning, with a content that this crazy world can understand.

- So do you think that in the face of this indispensable absurd, does this life have value or not?

+ Certainly, man will be empty of any hope of attaining that one truth. But this does not mean that he cannot still continue his life and create meaning for himself. After all, this world has many dimensions and is not black and white.

Some replace this meaning with the hope of life after death and enclose their world within the framework of religions. Some, like the existentialists, take a philosophical suicide by denying the absurd. But in my opinion, instead of such self-destruction, one can turn to artistic creation or strive for a noble goal in the face of the world so that perhaps a grain can move forward in the direction of convergence towards the answer.

- Well, so it turns out that in your opinion, this life has value and you are not in favor of suicide either.

+ Preferably not anymore! Instead, war, war until the end! {laughs with a closed mouth!}

I don't see suicide as a reasonable answer in the face of the absurd at all. Because suicide not only does not bring that one truth and answer to the absurd, but also does not eliminate the cause of the absurd. Suicide means fleeing in the face of this absurd. In fact, I only know the way to fight the absurd in revolt and acceptance of its reality.

- Thank you very much, Mr. Camus. Unfortunately, the time of the program has come to an end and we have to say goodbye to you unfortunately. Dear viewers, we thank you for your陪伴 so far and goodbye until the next time.

I have dedicated a significant amount of time to reading the dictionary, and in fact, I have spent about as much time on it as I have on reading this particular piece. To be honest, I managed to understand approximately 20% of the content. Interestingly enough, that 20% was quite engaging and held my attention. I must give credit where it's due.

However, I firmly believe that my rating will undergo a change once I am able to comprehend the remaining 80%. It's like a puzzle, and I'm determined to solve it. As I continue to explore and expand my knowledge, I'm hopeful that I'll gain a better understanding of the material and be able to provide a more accurate and comprehensive assessment.

Until then, I'll keep plugging away, eager to unlock the mysteries that lie within the pages and see how my perception of this work evolves.

I started reading this book because of the story of Seifesh. It was part of the class about the meaning of life and the foundation of the culture of life.

This book is extraordinary.

It is such that you can think for hours about the issues raised and enjoy reading each and every sentence.

Maybe I will start this book in the book club this year. There is a lot to discuss and it conveys a very good feeling.

I believe that reading this book will not only expand my knowledge but also give me a deeper understanding of life and its meaning. It will also provide an opportunity for me to share my thoughts and ideas with others in the book club, which I am really looking forward to.

Overall, I am very excited about this book and can't wait to explore its contents further.