Accepting the Absurd

In one of my first blog posts, I bring up that in my family we have a vinyl with the audiobook of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". This vinyl was often on replay. It is why all family members randomly quote Lewis Caroll's story. The story itself is one of talking animals and potions that make one grow or shrink. It is the imagination of Alice, a child.

This story is slightly crazy and all over the place with characters like the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare and the Mad Hatter. Yet I was brought to understand from a young age that this madness is somewhat meaningful. This story brought light to the idea that no one is fully sane, at least those who question things.

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”       – Dialogue between the Cheshire Cat and Alice

Another story which has been dominating my family's discussions is Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" (I have also mentioned this work before in The Magic Show). I read this work in my last year of high school and thoroughly enjoyed it. There is the same element of madness as in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". One of many quotes thrown around at the dinner table is:

"The only thing that can save a mortally wounded cat is a gulp of gasoline."

In this work, Bulgakov criticises the soviet regime through the presence of an all-powerful devilish character Woland, whose subjects are absurd creatures with a sense of humour. More than anything else this story makes fun of people who take themselves too seriously.

Another book read in my final year was "Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami. This book also sparked my interest because it had talking cats, just like the two aforementioned works. Furthermore, it was a great read, the story is full of surprises. I have written a small passage about this book in Raining Cats.

This story is just as surreal as the others. I enjoy Murakami's storytelling, it's like Jean de La Fontaine's fables, but slightly more developed and without the moral. The characters are surreal, yet it can be understood that the story originates from some kind of humanity. For me the story becomes a lot more captivating when things are not laid out in front of me, it is why La Fontaine's fables are not my cup of tea. Let's end that thought with a quote from "Kafka on the Shore":

“Taking crazy things seriously is a serious waste of time.”

I think that the surreal aspect of all these stories puts forward the opposite – the small joys all of us can experience like petting a cat, having that first sip of coffee and experiencing a snowy Christmas. Thus I believe that these stories promote noticing the details of everyday life which brings us joy.

More recently I came across two videos. The first is named Perfect. In it, we observe a dialogue between two characters. Their text is straightforward, but their observations are from an unlikely point of view. It is a somewhat chaotic video, but it is enjoyable chaos. The conclusion of the video is that "Everything is Perfect". That is because the characters are unable to make up something better, so it must be perfect already.

The second video is about Absurdism. As you might know, we are on a spinning rock rotating around a spinning ball of fire and we have no clue why everything is the way it is. The term absurdism is defined by exurb1a, the author of the video, as the full recognition and acceptance of this absurd situation. The video dissects the movements of nihilism, existentialism and finally absurdism. The latter is according to Camus the best course of action to lead a healthy life.

Absurdism says that since it is not possible to grasp the meaning behind it all you might as well enjoy the journey. Be present and have fun.

This Week's Suggestions:

If you have time I suggest you check out the videos I mentioned (Perfect. and Absurdism). Furthermore, all three books mentioned ("Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", "The Master and Margarita" and "Kafka on the Shore") are also worth reading if you enjoy some chaos in your life!

The song suggestion for this week is "Cheddar" by Népal, it is the first French rap song that I have listened to in a very long while. I really enjoy the mellow beat and Népal's lyrics and flow really complement it.

P.S: Here's a good reminder I found when doomscrolling 😁

Thanks for reading! Let me know what your thoughts are on the topic!