P2 to Meursault Essay

Life is so trivial and human consciousness is so cruel. It serves no higher purpose, no mission, and no meaning. People need to think that thoughts were made for a meaningful reason. Animals are unaware and they have no concept of self-consciousness and intellectual thought. Yet, when us humans are here with the cursing and blessing of consciousness- of reality, we need a reason for it or else it all goes to waste- to nothing. If one can’t connect consciousness and knowledge to missions and purposes then consciousness and knowledge become meaningless. That’s why I believe religion is a mere means of survival. I, however am an atheist, and it’s hard to live such a silly, ironic existence around such a serious population. 

Introduction to Camus Essay

During my eleventh year at Buckley, I had begun to explore the world of exitential nihlism- but my fasincation turned into a massive obession and this magnificient philosophy turned to become how i'd make my daily decisions, what my relationships were, what i did, and what my interal thoughts were. It was a philosophy that turned everything that was hard and complex into easy and simple- it was a philosophy that made me face the absurd fearlessly and live with it, just as Meursault has. The Stranger by Albert Camus and The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley will both mirror that of my life, Meursaults life, and the theories of existential nihlism. As Friedrich Nietzsche once brilliantly stated: "A nihilist is a man who judges of the world as it is that it ought not to be, and of the world as it ought to be that it does not exist. According to this view, our existence (action, suffering, willing, feeling) has no meaning: the pathos of 'in vain' is the nihilists' pathos — at the same time, as pathos, an inconsistency on the part of the nihilists." In short, existential nihlism and the above advocates force us to face the knowledge that nothing is meaningful except meaninglessness.

Camus Essay

Facing the Absurd:
My essay will focus on detachment and being an outsider. I'm connecting my personal life to the personal life of Meursault. It will explore questions such as: "Is Meursalt content with his empy, random life? Could you be? Also, the theme of alienation will be used to connect myself with Meursault. I've decided to use Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception as my second work. I'm going to use more than one quote from The Stranger, but one i know for certain is the last passage of the book: " In that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself- so like a brother, really- I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again." Ever since i've read that paragprah, i've fallen in love with it and have become twisted and enchanted with his words and meanings. My thesis involves the opening of existential nihlism and how it has become more than just a philosophy for me, but a life style and how this has guided my daily behavior and molded me: During my eleventh year at Buckley, I had begun to explore the
world of exitential nihlism- but my fasincation turned into a massive obession and this
magnificient philosophy turned to become how i'd make my daily decisions, what my
relationships were, what i did, and what my interal thoughts were. It was a philosophy that
turned everything that was hard and complex into easy and simple- it was a philosophy that made me face the absurd fearlessly and live with it, so empty and so happy. Most people wont understand this, but thats because most people are all the same and think the same. I dont and i wouldnt trade that for anything.

Meursault

       
Meursault just doesn't care and in a way it completely frees him. He's not chained down by the binding feelings of others- or himself. He's uninvolved towards life's trivialities such as shaking hands, smoking in front of the deceased, or telling white lies. He holds no bonds to established standards. And yet, in a way it also completly imprisons him because he's too much to himself. Being so disconnected towards others has left him alone. But Meursault seems fine with his loneliness. I once read a funny and true quote saying: "If you're lonely when you're alone, you're in bad company. Not only is Meursault ok with being alone- he likes it. Moreover, why care when nothing matters? It seem counterproductive to care about something that's meaningless? Meursault's attitude is more than just a story line- its a philosophy. It's a way of life and a perspective of life. For Meursault it just seems so hopeless to care about such a mundane existence: go to school, to go to college, to get a job, get a retirement -die. When life, no matter what will always end the same- what's the point?

Icarus: poem and painting

As Icarus falls into the water and drowns, every man and woman near are indifferent to his sufferings. Icarus isn't even the focal point of the poem or painting. Let alone, in the painting he can barely be noticed! The poem and painting reduce Icarus's sufferings to a mere blip and life around- the cattle, the ships, work go on. Life goes on- it's just another day. The poem and painting give us a brilliant perspective into how they view daily life and the myth of Icarus. The implications for both are that no one cares who Icarus is, he's superfluous and life is just an ordinary event that occurs. Also, I don't know whether this could be going overboard- but I feel as if I could compare this to The Stranger. There is a certain kind of detachment from Icarus's sufferings, from any emotion as the painting is kind of ordinary and bland, and also a detachment from life. It's merely something that goes on- nothing special.