LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE
Do you take delight in watching films,
listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs,
and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You
can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of
wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.
#74. The Wisdom of Albert Camus: The Absurd,
Revolt, and the Measure of a Human Life
Albert Camus
said “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free
that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
This book offers
a profound and carefully structured exploration of one of the twentieth
century's most influential moral philosophers, Albert Camus. Camus confronted
one of humanity's deepest dilemmas: our longing for meaning in a universe that
remains silent and indifferent. Rather than surrender to despair or seek
comfort in illusion, he forged a philosophy of revolt—lucid, disciplined,
compassionate, and profoundly humane. This book follows the development of that
vision, examining the absurd, the rejection of suicide, the defense of human
limits, and the enduring pursuit of justice without violence.
(Albert
Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus): “There is but one truly serious philosophical
problem, and that is suicide. If life has no ultimate meaning, why endure it?
Every other question – about truth, morality, beauty – presupposes that one
remains alive to ask it. The decision to live is prior to all theories.”
ð
With this striking statement, Albert Camus
does not glorify suicide or invite despair. Instead, he insists that before we
concern ourselves with questions about morality, justice, beauty, religion, or
truth, we must first answer a more basic question: Is life worth living?
For Camus, this is the foundation upon
which every other philosophical inquiry rests. If life itself is not worth
continuing, then all other intellectual debates become secondary or even
meaningless. Philosophy, therefore, must begin not with abstract theories but
with the concrete reality of human existence.
“Revolt,
for Camus, is not rage. It is not ideological fervor. It is the steady refusal
to give in to negation. To live without appeal is to accept that there is no
higher court of justification and yet to persist. It is to say yes to life
without pretending that life answers us. This is not optimism. It is defiance
without illusion.”
ð For
Camus, revolt is neither an outburst of anger nor a call for political
revolution. It is a deeply personal and enduring way of living—a conscious
decision to affirm life while fully recognizing that the universe offers or
naturally provides no ultimate meaning, no divine guarantees, and no final
answers. Unlike rebellion driven by resentment or ideology, Camus's revolt is
quiet, disciplined, and unwavering. It is the moral courage to continue living
honestly without surrendering either to despair or to comforting illusions.
Revolt is not an attempt to conquer the absurd; it is a sober determination to
live faithfully within it.
“He
would insist that poverty was not bitterness. In his Nobel address, he
remembered “that poor house” as a place of dignity. Poverty, he suggested,
prevented resentment from curdling into envy. It imposed limits early. It
taught him that one does not possess the world; one inhabits it briefly.”
ð Albert
Camus reflects on his childhood poverty in Algeria as a source of wisdom rather
than despair. Living with so little instilled humility, gratitude, and
independence from material wealth. Rather than defining him by deprivation,
those early years became the foundation of his philosophical understanding of
life. His existential insight shows that poverty can dissolve the illusion of
ownership. Realizing that we are only temporary guests on Earth allows us to
appreciate the beauty of everyday life—the warmth of the sun, the vastness of
the sky, or the sea—without measuring our worth by what we own. For Camus, this
freedom from material attachment opens the door to a richer and more authentic
way of living.
“For
Camus, affection, friendship, and fidelity acquire weight precisely because
they are finite. He rejected romantic illusions that promise fusion beyond
time. To love is not to escape absurdity. It is to enter it more deeply. One
loves knowing that separation is inevitable. Death or distance will intervene.”
ð
This
passage reflects the heart of Camus's philosophy of love. Instead of chasing
the fantasy of "happily ever after," he accepts that all
relationships are finite. Their impermanence is what makes them deeply
meaningful. In Camus's view, romantic ideals of eternal love can distract us
from the absurd—the tension we feel between our longing for lasting meaning and
an indifferent universe. By accepting this reality, we can love more honestly,
appreciating each shared moment without relying on comforting illusions.
** Jean’s Small Thoughts:
Growing up, I
often heard my parents, grandparents, teachers, and other adults say, “Young
people today lack patience and perseverance. They are too fragile to overcome
life’s challenges.” I used to think those criticisms belonged to another
generation and would eventually disappear. Yet here I am, catching myself
saying the very same things about young people today. As Camus interprets, we
all stands before a world full of mysteries that does not kindly explain
itself. We complain about the ‘less-than-perfect’ young ones around us, the
unexpected slaps in the face from life, the repetition of painful boredom, the
weight of illness, tax, and death.
Reading
Albert Camus has given me a different perspective on how we should approach a
life that does not always unfold in our favor. We’d be happy if we were willing
to revolt and refuses to flee from the indifferent universe. His philosophy has
strengthened my belief that nothing we achieve in this world is permanent. As
difficult as that truth may be, Camus encourages us to accept it without
bitterness or anger and simply continue living with courage and dignity. Of
course, his philosophy may not resonate with everyone. Many people still
believe that love and relationships can last forever, even when they sense that
the feelings have changed. Camus, however, reminds us that our greatest mistake
is expecting permanence in a world defined by change.
To me,
recognizing that life is finite does not diminish its value—it deepens it. It
makes every experience more precious, every relationship more meaningful, and
every moral choice more significant. That awareness allows us to greet each new
day not with illusion, but with hope, cherishing every moment we share. In that
sense, we can remain optimistic, grateful for the rare and beautiful encounter
between two fragile human beings whose lives briefly cross in this vast
universe.
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