tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26036650874725191.post2617048136885543879..comments2023-09-18T05:40:20.483-04:00Comments on Who is the absurd man?: In Search Of SerenityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26036650874725191.post-68365919044210537702009-12-17T16:33:52.215-05:002009-12-17T16:33:52.215-05:00Hey Rick,
You made a very interesting observation...Hey Rick,<br /><br />You made a very interesting observation in your above response. You wrote:<br /><br />"Indeed, we would view this as akin to the currently fashionable concept (in the US) of mindfulness/living in the moment."<br /><br />It reminded me that I used to struggle with this very fact - that my attempt to enjoy the present moment coincided with popular philosophies within the US; I was worried that I'd evolve into a neurotic hedonist endlessly chasing my insatiable desires just to enjoy life. Of course, properly enjoying the present moment goes beyond mere hedonism, and this is why this fashionable practice in the US is such a failure: people chasing after a life of pure enjoyment must first reflect and understand the human condition and its inherent conflicts(something the ever-distracted US culture rarely has time for).Modern Mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26036650874725191.post-66279864499624866032009-12-17T14:48:43.139-05:002009-12-17T14:48:43.139-05:00Ah - we see. Well, that's a good question. Per...Ah - we see. Well, that's a good question. Perhaps it is yet another trick, but it seems to us it is more a realistic way of approaching life and the human condition. <br /><br />In short, given that we are not planning to devote our life to meditation anytime soon, it is likely not possible for us to achieve a state of mind where we never worry about the future or regret the past. Our internal wiring, along with the external reality of a non-absurd society, are simply too powerful for us to expect to overcome them all the time.<br /><br />That said, we can certainly choose not to "sweat" these lapses, but rather to incorporate them with good humor. Indeed, we would view this as akin to the currently fashionable concept (in the US) of mindfulness/living in the moment. In other words, we do not believe it is possible for us to be completely free of anti-absurd moments (at least not anytime soon). But what we can do is leave them in the past - where they belong...<br /><br />Rick.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00776266692926125490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26036650874725191.post-75347467411298639472009-12-16T01:41:41.919-05:002009-12-16T01:41:41.919-05:00Rick,
What I asked - in other words - is .. could...Rick,<br /><br />What I asked - in other words - is .. could practicing "acceptance" be one of those tricks that simply layer another veneer on the existing illusion of meaninglessness, rather than (as you had hoped) guide individuals down the path to peace and contentment?<br /><br />i.e., when one accepts the periodic bursts of anti-absurdity (or instances of feeling bad in general - such as in a chaotic environment).. could it lead to some sort of languish acceptance of one's fate in life (as they say, you cannot change human nature; accept life as it is; don't try to change) leading to forgetting the goal (which is absolute peace and contentment)?<br /><br />Speaking of Modern Man's comment, it is surely unproductive to vex over one's downsides, but what I am referring to is something else that hints at "giving up" in attaining peace and content and instead "accept" one's disharmony and discontentment with "equanimity".<br /><br />"we should suffer such lapses with equanimity, rather than seeking to banish them."<br /><br />"to accept some modicum of human nature than to strive (as it were) for some ever-higher plateau of absurdity"<br /><br />"But maybe that's not such a bad thing after all..."<br /><br />Could this equanimity be one of those tricks that simply layer another veneer on the existing illusion of meaninglessness, rather than (as you had hoped) guide individuals down the path to peace and contentment?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26036650874725191.post-47994590232038306972009-12-15T14:07:54.717-05:002009-12-15T14:07:54.717-05:00srid-
We're not exactly sure what you're ...srid-<br /><br />We're not exactly sure what you're getting at, but our point is that pursuing the absurd as a "goal" could itself wind up being anti-absurd, particularly given the powerful biological and cultural forces both within and surrounding us. Thus, from a practical standpoint it may be preferable to "accept" periodic bouts of anti-absurdity rather than seeking to banish them wholesale. (Then again, we've never actually experienced Nirvana, so who are we to say...)<br /><br />As Modern Man put it in a recent comment: "I think my mistake has been in critiquing myself too harshly when I falter and give in to my anti-absurd instinctual side. Perhaps I just need to implement the absurd "Ahhhhhh" whenever I catch myself burdening myself with my perceived "failures.".https://www.blogger.com/profile/00776266692926125490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26036650874725191.post-51458066935793014772009-12-14T21:40:49.377-05:002009-12-14T21:40:49.377-05:00Greetings Rick,
In the other thread, you noted:
...Greetings Rick,<br /><br />In <a href="http://whoistheabsurdman.blogspot.com/2009/10/trick-or-treat.html" rel="nofollow">the other thread</a>, you noted:<br /><br />"""<br />[...] perhaps such tricks do [...] simply layer another "veneer" on the existing illusion of meaningfulness, rather than (as we had hoped) guide individuals down the path to peace and contentment.<br />"""<br /><br />Could it be that saying <em>"But maybe that's not such a bad thing after all..."</em> (in other words, one <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=cannot+change+human+nature" rel="nofollow">cannot change human nature</a>) itself is one of those tricks that simply layer another veneer on the existing illusion of meaninglessness, rather than (as you had hoped) guide invididuals down the path to peace and contentment?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com