1. Life is absurd...
- JB
- Oct 28
- 3 min read
Born without our consent.
One of eight billion sentient beings,
Inhabiting one of eight planets,
Orbiting one of the hundreds of billions of stars,
Which make up one of two trillion galaxies,
Within an expanding universe.
And as we slowly gain consciousness,
We begin to learn of the inherent uncertainty of life,
The unavoidable daily routine of wake, work/play eat, sleep. Repeat.
Until our impending mortality.
And with this consciousness comes a curse:
The reason to question why,
In a universe that remains silent.
Unmoved.
Indifferent.
The instinct to search for something that does not exist. Life is absurd.
So what are the options for navigating the absurd?
Option 1 – REJECT the absurd
Cling to inherited beliefs.
Buy into the illusion of objective meaning and eternal life.
It is comforting.
But demands a leap of faith over reason,
A leap not all of us are able, or willing to make.
If you believe it is better to live with questions that can never be answered,
Than answers that can not never be questioned.
Option 2 – RESOLVE the absurd
Acknowledge the absurd, but bridge the void with subjective meaning.
It feels safe. Even rational.
But meaning built on shifting sands of subjectivity can be fragile.
What once felt profoundly meaningful can become hollow when circumstances change.
And fade with time.
Option 3 – ACCEPT the absurd and REVOLT
Not by chasing meaning, but by experiencing it.
Letting it arise in moments of joy, awe, and creation.
And also in pain, fear, even destruction.
Meaning not as something to cling onto from the past,
Or project into an imagined future —
But something to be present to, here and now.
Like a butterfly, meaning is fragile.
Attempt to capture it, and you crush it.
Releasing meaning offers a radical freedom:
Independence from the illusion of fate.
Liberty from the lie of certainty.
Escape from the anxiety born of control.
When we becoming liberated from meaning,
We become more present,
And we begin to live —
More authentically.
Live life as an act of improv, not as a part in a scripted play.
A Hitchhiker's Guide to Living Absurdly
Step 1: Recognise the Absurd
Our instinct is to search for meaning to help explain our existence.
To justify our suffering…
and silence the anxiety born from knowing we will die.
The absurd arises when that instinct meets the silence of the universe.
Step 2: Live Without Appeal
Resist the comfort of inherited beliefs or ready-made ideologies.
They promise meaning but demand your freedom in return.
To live without appeal is to live without seeking approval…
from gods, society systems.
Step 3: Experience Meaning in the Moment
Meaning does not live in the past or the future.
The past is a story.
The future, a projection.
Much of our suffering comes from attaching meaning to what has already happened,
or imagining meaning in what is yet come.
Reliving events to justify, regret, or explain them.
We project outcomes to control or predict what ‘should’ be.
In both, we lose the only place meaning can be experienced — now.
Meaning is not found or forged; it is felt…
in the glance that connects two souls,
in holding a child for the first time,
in the silent presence of a final goodbye.
The present is the only reality that is real enough to be lived.
Step 4: Seek Motive, Not Meaning
Meaning asks why. Motive asks what for.
Meaning looks outward for justification.
Motive arises inward from authenticity and choice.
Seek not to understand why life is,
but to know why you choose to live.
Motive is the pulse of authenticity.
It is reason — the commitment to create, and move forward simply because you can and choose to.
Step 5: Create as an Act of Rebellion
Carrying meaninglessness can feel heavy.
To create in spite of it is rebellion.
When you build, design, write, or transform,
you rebel against despair and turn consciousness into form.
Each act of creation expands what exists,
because in creating, we initiate possibility.
We rebel against nothingness by creating something intentionally.
Live Lucid. Conscious. Free.
This blog is inspired by the philosophy of Absurdism and the works of Albert Camus.
If you choose to revolt, declare and embrace it.