Pointless Ruminations on the Absurd

The world around us is in no way required to conform to our expectations, beliefs, or desires. Rather, it is all but guaranteed to disappoint us, at least once or twice a lifetime. The loftier (or more deeply felt) our ideals, the more this may be true.

When we accept this incongruity and are keenly aware of it, but cannot change our thinking, absurdity steps in. The world no longer quite makes sense. It is untethered from rational or moral concerns, adrift in a bizarre joke told by no one.

Desire for normative order is often irrational and misplaced. Placing ethical constraints on amoral matters makes no sense. Yet these appear (sometimes, seemingly) inescapable conclusions. Hence the sensation of absurdity.

We can apply these incongruous demands to anything and anyone. But this is not a universal philosophy. It is a philosophy of the self, a diagnosis.

Comments

I put it to you:

What is wrong with moustaches? Eh?

For Every Problem, a Solution (2)

Each panel originally had a caption, a feature which was scrapped in a silly attempt to bring cohesiveness to the page as a whole. They were as follows: panel 1 - Pig fingers! Carrot hands! Cannot draw! panel 2 - Focus off. panel 3 - Perspective is a matter of perspective. panel 4 - What, me worry? In thinking about it, I suppose I might have impanelled these in the orange bar at the right, but it probably would've been a bit much. ... I'm not sure how wide-spread the campaign is, but in Seattle, there are numerous billboards and bus signs which read, "Jesus is ____." I want to play mad libs with these things, or else write in, "a day labourer." Other acceptable answers include, "bearded," and, "featured in a Leonard Cohen song."

For Every Problem, a Solution (5)

The final installment of the 'Solution', unless I decide to draw out the following ideas: -Glen Danzig in 'Heavy Metal Human Sacrifice' -Two Face in 'Homophobia' - Steve Martin, as Navin Jackson, in 'Jerks!'

Pointless Man

Search This Blog