Living without meaning - finding freedom in Camus’ philosophy

By Celia Williams Staff Writer Imagine all the things you are doing - studying, planning, hustling - ultimately add up to nothing. No grand payoff, no cosmic purpose, no higher destiny. At first, a terrifying thought, but what if, instead of fear, that realization gave you freedom? Albert Camus, a philosopher, novelist, and the father of existentialism, famously wrote about the “absurdity” of life. He argued that in the absence of inherent meaning, we may carve out our own paths. In a world where success is defined by grades, scores, and rigid expectations, Camus’ idea might be precisely what today's students need. Instead of waiting for someone else’s definition of a meaningful life, we should create our own. That is where Camus’ philosophy steps in. Imagine a life without a universal path, no “right” way forward, no final meaning. No meaning at all. Does it sound frightening? Perhaps. According to Camus, it is also the only true path to freedom. In his work “The Myth of Sisyphus,” Camus introduces the concept of the “absurd.” The absurd, he says, is born from the clash between our human need to make sense of life and the “unreasonable silence of the world.” We crave answers and patterns, hoping that everything we do somehow “adds up.” But the universe has no answers for us. It is indifferent. Instead of finding meaning, we face emptiness. Camus saw this as the gap between our desire for meaning and the world’s indifference, an absurd reality defining human experience. To illustrate the absurd, he uses the story of Sisyphus, a character from Greek mythology. The gods condemned Sisyphus to push a boulder up a mountain for eternity, only to watch it roll back down each time he neared the top. Camus believed that Sisyphus can teach us something profound. Sisyphus is a hero, not because he achieves something but because he achieves and accepts the endless struggle. Camus writes, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” For many students, life can feel like an endless series of tasks. There is always another exam, project, assignment, or application to complete. The idea is that each success will bring you closer to some ultimate sense of accomplishment or meaning. What happens when you get there? Does the satisfaction even last? Or do you go onto another project without feeling anything? Camus would contend that this consistent quest for significance outside ourselves is bound to leave us frustrated. Similar to Sisyphus, we are pushing a rock that generally moves down. No single accomplishment, grade, or grant can ultimately fulfill our craving for a reason. Camus offered an alternative. Rather than struggling to find the perfect purpose, he suggested we find freedom in accepting life’s absurdity. There is not a surrender but a way of living more fully. When we stop seeking answers, we are free to define meaning on our own terms. Camus wrote, “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” For students, this could mean investing in what genuinely fulfills them, even if it does not align with external expectations or traditional success markers. As an English major or any other “unimportant” major (fashion, music, linguistics, philosophy, etc.), you are a target of prejudice that is simply incorrect. No passion of yours is unimportant. We should not live this life to simply make a lot of money. Sure, having money is good - I wouldn't want to have nothing to eat, but is that all there is to life? Money? You won’t take that with you to the grave. We were born naked, and we will leave naked. We have a choice - to be paralyzed by the lack of inherent meaning or to rebel against it, against the nurture we were forced to accept as nature. Living with intention and joy. When we embrace the absurd, we are free to find meaning in things that bring us learning something new, creating art, forming friendships, or exploring ideas. In accepting that life may not have a single purpose, we gain the freedom to live each moment fully and make each experience meaningful on its own terms. Instead of waiting for life to reveal its meaning, perhaps we should embrace the absurdity and find beauty in each moment. After all, true freedom lies not in waiting for answers but in choosing to live without them.