My Philosophy in Life and Albert Camus

Live to the point of tears. –Albert Camus

I am a ‘real’ Absurdist. I imagine Sisyphus happy. It took a long way on the philosophical path to reach here. Right from the young age, I asked fundamental questions. That led me to explore the world of philosophy in search of answers. Knowing the meaning of life and existence in general was very important to me. On this path I came across a lot of great thinkers/philosophers. Fyodor Dostovesky, Nietzsche, Albert Camus, Kierkegaard et al. There was a time when I had nihilistic views towards life, which then changed into existentialist views; a very commom order for most of the people I think. But all the answers given by these philosophies did not really make the thoughts subside and I felt that something is still there to be known. And one fine day, I read Albert Camus. And boom! I had it; answers to my questions. I am sure Lord Buddha would call it enlightenment.

This wasn’t an isolated incident. Everything I had explored on this path condensed when the right buttons were pressed. Looking at ‘Yoga-Vashishth’, it is obvious that Lord Rama had Absurdist thoughts. Lord Buddha’s thoughts helped me understand Camus’ point.  One of the basic tenants of Buddhism is that life is suffering and it takes bravery to face it. But Camus insists that the absurd does not necessarily lead to tragedy. And that is where I inclined more towards absurdist philosophy. ‘Bramha Satyam, Jagat Mithya’! Isn’t this absurdism? Ancient Indian philosophy had had a great impact on my young mind. All these things came together and gave me some solace in my existential crisis. It was like Grand Unification Theory manifesting itself to you.

According to the butterfly effect, this wouldn’t have happened if just a few of the things were different. So I know that everything I experienced or explored in life is responsible for this. And this this tells a lot about my philosophy in life. Every output is a result of certain set of inputs. Change in one parameter can cause chaotic repurcussions. That leads me to believe that you should not have regrets in life. You don’t really know what would have happened if you had done things differently.

This was in accordance with what I learnt from The alchemist. The story of the shepherd boy had influenced my thoughts profoundly. He was siiting on the ‘treasure’ all along but he had to go through lot of hardship before knowing that. I learnt that Everything you seek is already there inside you. It manifests itself when you put yourself through hardship, struggle, new experiences; live on the edge; take risks; discover new things. This journey is the most important. More important than the destination itself. Because the journey enriches you.

So I could say that I am an explorer. Continuous improvement is one more thing that I took from it. Camus quotes: Always go too far. Because that’s where you will find truth. I believe in going too far.

The realization of the absurdist nature of myself gave me solid frame of thoughts. And I could see the bigger picture now. It fuelled my passion. I knew that the only way to live life is living a life of passion. The constant revolt that Camus talks about was the best idea I came across on my philosophical journey.