Living in the Absurd
How Embracing Life’s Contradictions Can Actually Set You Free
Over the past few weeks, we have talked about optimism as a creative stance, existentialism as a call to make meaning, and Stoicism as a way to stay grounded when life gets messy.
All of that has been building toward this next idea. What if none of it fits together the way we hope it will? What if we are out here doing our best to live with purpose in a world that just keeps throwing curveballs? What if we are trying to care deeply while knowing full well that life does not always make sense?
That is where absurdism comes in.
I do not mean absurd in the sense of silly or ridiculous. I mean absurd in the way Albert Camus meant it. The tension between our need for clarity and the reality of a universe that does not offer clear answers. The space between our desire for meaning and the silence we often find in return.
Absurdism is not about giving up. It is about waking up. It is about seeing the contradiction and choosing to live anyway.
What Is Absurdism?
Absurdism was most famously explored by Albert Camus, a writer and philosopher from Algeria who lived through war, loss, and political unrest. While he is often placed alongside existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, Camus saw things a little differently.
He asked a simple but powerful question. If life has no built in meaning, and we keep searching for one anyway, what do we do with that contradiction?
That tension is what he called the absurd.
Instead of trying to escape it or solve it, Camus said we should face it. Accept it. Even embrace it.
That is the heart of absurdism. Not pretending things are fine when they are not. Not denying the chaos. But learning how to live fully inside it.
The Story of Sisyphus
Camus used the Greek myth of Sisyphus to explain this idea. In the story, Sisyphus is condemned by the gods to push a giant boulder up a mountain, only for it to roll back down every time he reaches the top. Forever.
It sounds hopeless. But Camus saw something different.
He wrote, we must imagine Sisyphus happy.
Because Sisyphus is not pretending the task will change. He knows what he is facing. And still, he shows up and does the work. He owns it. That choice to keep going, to engage with life on his own terms, becomes an act of rebellion and freedom.
That is absurdism. Not running from the struggle, but showing up for it with full awareness.
Absurdism and the Creative Life
If you are an artist, entrepreneur, or builder of any kind, you already know what this feels like.
You make something you care about. You put it out into the world. Maybe it connects. Maybe it does not. And then, like Sisyphus, you go back and make the next thing.
There are no guarantees. No perfect system. You just keep showing up.
Absurdism gives that process a kind of sacred weight. It tells us the work is meaningful not because of how it is received, but because you chose to do it in the face of uncertainty.
That is not failure. That is freedom.
Absurdism Is Not Giving Up
Here is the important thing. Absurdism is not about being cynical. It is not the same as nihilism ( I will do a post on nihilism later). It does not say nothing matters, so why bother.
It says nothing is promised, so what will you do with your freedom?
It is about choosing to care even when life does not always make sense. About laughing at the contradiction and creating something anyway. About living with clarity while accepting that the universe might not hand you any neat conclusions.
There is joy in that. Not because it is easy. But because it is yours.
Why I Wrote This
This post is a continuation of a larger conversation. We started with optimism. Then we explored existentialism. Then we talked about Stoicism. Now we are here, in the absurd.
I wrote this because some days the tools do not fix it. The mindset does not clean it up. And that is when absurdism shows up. Not to provide an answer, but to remind us that the tension itself is part of being alive.
It gives me room to feel the full weight of life without needing to solve it. To laugh through the chaos. To make things without needing them to explain everything.
That feels honest. That feels real. And yes, that feels like a celebration.
So let me ask you:
Have you ever had an absurd moment?
A time when the world made no sense, but you still showed up?
What helps you keep going when the contradictions are too loud to ignore?
Drop a comment or reply. I would love to hear your story.
And as always, EVERY day is a celebration. Even the strange ones. Especially the strange ones.
Astro Joe Garcia
No Surprises - Radiohead
If there is one song that captures the heart of absurdism, it is No Surprises by Radiohead. The melody is gentle, almost childlike, but the lyrics paint a picture of someone quietly breaking under the weight of routine and emotional exhaustion. It is not a dramatic breakdown. It is more haunting than that. It is the sound of someone realizing the world will not change for them, and choosing to carry on anyway. That is what Camus meant by facing the absurd. Not denial, not despair. Just awareness. And maybe a small, stubborn sense of peace inside the chaos.