When I first picked up The Stranger by Albert Camus, I was surprised by how relevant the commentary is on the current state of the pandemic.
The novel follows an ordinary man shortly after his mother’s death. Intertwined in a series of events, the protagonist senselessly kills a Gypsy man and ultimately gets placed on trial.
The genius of Camus is apparent with the novel’s theme introducing a refreshing but apathetic attitude towards the value that we normally place on life. It highlighted the philosophical outlook of Absurdism. Wikipedia sums up the philosophy as the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and the human inability to find any in a purposeless, meaningless or chaotic and irrational universe.
This pandemic stricken time has put the value we place on life, in the spotlight. While most of us can agree that life is precious, the most vulnerable parts of our population have to choose economic survival over sheltering in place. Most medical personnel cannot quit their jobs when they are not offered proper protection. They are faced with the stark reality of choosing between financial or physical health.
Depression is on the rise. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in Jan 2021, 41% of young adults reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is no wonder that seclusion and constant distancing has placed tremendous stress as the deviation from “normal life” has challenged our physical and mental psyche. For many, the meaning we find in our jobs is simply not enough.
As a workaholic, I thought that I could find meaning in the work that I do, after all it is supposedly to help the people I love. But what I’ve realized is that I find the most meaning with forming genuine connections with my family and closest friends. I most certainly wish to find my job meaningful, but if given the choice between a blood sucking high paying job over a low paying meaningful job, I can see how both make sense. The former could enable financial freedom to pursue individual endeavours later on in life.
Finding meaning in our occupation, for many, is a luxury and only depends on the value we individually choose to place on it. If anything, we should focus on being more gentle and forgiving on ourselves during these trying times. I find the perspective of Absurdism oddly comforting as death renders all the activities during our lives meaningless. If death is the final price that we pay, then everything we do during our lives is free.
