Albert Camus studied the philosophy of the absurd and decided that, for him, the most important philosophical question was "why not commit suicide?" In “The Myth of Sisyphus: An Absurd Reasoning” (1942), he sets out his thoughts on the answer to this question. He considers the absurdity of life, how to deal with it, and explains his reasoning throughout the story of Sisyphus. He concludes his reflection by saying "at that subtle moment when man looks back on his life, Sisyphus returns to his rock, in this slight pivot he contemplates this series of unrelated actions which become his destiny, created by him, combined under the eye of his memory. and soon sealed by his death. » Although this may seem miserable at first, Camus makes it clear throughout his writings that it is possible to find happiness in a habitual, meaningless life. He believes that “committing suicide is tantamount to confessing. Life is too hard for you, you don’t understand it,” and giving up is not the solution. Happiness can be found and life can be lived with passion, full of experiences, but without purpose. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay First, it is necessary to give some context to the myth of Sisyphus. In the story, it is not clear how he arrived at his fate, but it tells readers that Sisyphus had a passion for life and a hatred for death. He has deceived the gods and finds himself faced with an eternity of useless work. He must roll a boulder to the top of a hill, only to roll it back down each time he reaches the top. At first, Camus suggests that the gods are clever in inflicting this punishment on Sisyphus, but in the end he "concludes that all is well" with Sisyphus, and that he is a happy man. The only way for that to happen is for Sisyphus to acknowledge his crushing truth about his eternity, and once he does that, it's just a little less crushing. He knows the full extent of his fate and has discovered what Camus calls the absurdity of the absurdity of the habit of living from which happiness is born. He is the master of his own days, and as he comes back down the hill he is free to reach a state of accepted content. Camus relates this to our own lives and the fact that we are filling our days with meaningless tasks. , like Sisyphus. People seek solutions either by discovering the meaning they desire through a leap of faith or by concluding that life has no meaning. Those seem to be the only two options, so if someone doesn't believe in a deity or religion and decides it makes no sense, should that person automatically commit suicide? Camus thinks no, that there may be a third possibility that we can accept and live in a world devoid of meaning or purpose; it's absurd. Suicide amounts to admitting that the world is too chaotic and aimless, it is too difficult to manage, as mentioned above. Camus believes that the third possibility can allow us to live a fulfilling life, even accepting that it is an absurd and meaningless world. Facing the absurdity of our world and accepting it is the only way to find happiness. Absurdity is defined as the search for a purpose in this life, but what is key is the inability to find one. People desire a purpose in life, and that's why they take leaps of faith and look to religion for answers, but truly knowing and accepting the absurd means you are aware of and okay with the means that there is no possible meaning in this confusing and chaotic situation. world. Recognizing the absurd can seem like suicide.