The non-absurdity of Facebook

We have never really understood the Facebook phenomenon. To us, the idea of "connecting" with people we have not seen in years, if not decades, seems a different kind of absurd. After all, there is probably a reason we fell out of touch...

Recently, however, we were reading the final book by the incomparable Ernest Becker (author of The Denial of Death), which posed the following question: "Why do people work so hard to create useless goods when they already have enough to eat?" Indeed, this has always seemed to us the critical reason people are unhappy--they invest their "happiness" in progressively unattainable goals, whether physical or psychological, in the mistaken belief that "more," broadly and nebulously defined, will bring them contentment.

Becker's argument is that such activities help man to feel "heroic," and thus that he may be able to transcend the fate of other mortals. In other words, the more "stuff" I possess (again, broadly defined), the more "important" I must be, and how could such an important person possibly die? This is why we feel so shocked when celebrities die--after all, if it could happen to them...

Viewed in this light, Facebook makes perfect sense--an ever-increasing roster of "friends" is virtually the perfect antidote to a feeling of insecurity about one's mortal makeup. Unfortunately, it is simply another illusion for those desperately searching for a way to escape the reality of this world.

We, as noted, prefer the liberation of accepting this reality. We die, and thus none of it matters.

Enjoy your holiday!