Albert Camus and Depression
French Algerian novelist, Albert Camus, was a well-renowned author responsible for writing The Plague, The Myth of Sisyphus, The Rebel, and The Fall. His works have greatly impacted the world of literature and philosophy, ultimately resulting in him becoming the second youngest recipient of The Nobel Prize in 1957 (Frenz, 1969, p.1). He spoke about the absurdity of life and the human condition. His philosophy explains that life has no perceivable meaning and the fight to find meaning is pointless (Aronson, 2022, p.1). He believes that the battle for hope will often result in despair. With his existentially driven perspective, he would feel that depression is a natural response to the absurdity of life. Albert Camus would assume the growth of the depression epidemic is a direct result of people becoming keen to the constant repetition in their lives. He had often described the human drive to find meaning in life as illogical or as Camus would say “He who despairs of the human condition is a coward, but he who has hope for it is a fool” (Gur, 2023, p.1).
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Camus believes that suicide and despair are the product of the inescapable void we all must eventually face. He denounced religion and referenced it as “philosophical suicide” (Truman, 2023,p.1). He considered religion a crutch for people to escape the reality of human mortality (p.1). He stresses that religion creates an illusion of hope for an afterlife when there is no such thing. In his essay The Myth of Sysiphus, the main philosophical theme is “Why should I not kill myself?” it debates whether or not life is worth living given the lack of purpose in our existence (Sus, 2023, p.1).
Sisyphus is often seen as living an absurd existence, forced to push a stone up a
Mountain only for it to roll back down for eternity. Many often find life to be a
repetitive slog in which their efforts build up only for them to ultimately be futile
in the grand scheme of things. As such, many are stuck with the feeling that life
is meaningless, which leads down the path to suicide. While Camus reasons that
people commit suicide “because they judge life is not worth living”, he also
suggests that “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” (Camus, 1942, p.2) This is
because he considers Sisyphus to have accepted the absurdity of his own life.
He sketches this idea that in order to combat thoughts of despair, one must come
to peace with life's absurdity.
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Furthermore, Camus’s idea of coming to peace with life's harsh reality would be to enrich yourself in the aspects of life that make you happy. If life is meaningless, then you should not focus on the grim reality, but use it as motivation to find meaning in the moment. He thinks that the illogical beliefs attached to religion would blind people from the reality of their inescapable fate and ultimately result in them praying for an afterlife instead of facing the truth. In the Myth of Sisyphus he says “If there is a personal fate, there is no higher destiny, or at least there is, but one which he (Sisyphus) concludes is inevitable and despicable. For the rest, he knows himself to be the master of his days”(Camus, 1942, p.2). He does not look at suicide as a solution to escape the repetitive nature of life. His philosophy not only illustrates life as absent of meaning, but also death as well (Hendricks, 2023, p.1). Suicide is of no use to us. Camus instead, encourages those who struggle with despair to take control of their lives and make the most of the time they have left; Become the master of your days.
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The individualistic philosophy isn't an easy realization for many, but once again, Camu explains that the universe will remain indifferent (Sus, 2023, p.1). Taking an interest in hobbies, forming valuable relationships, spending time with loved ones, and ultimately doing the things that make you happy was Camus's solution to despair. Camus's issues with religion were mainly due to the amount of evil and suffering in the world. He didn't believe that a silent god deserved to be worshiped. He also discouraged living with the idea that your destiny is predetermined by a higher being
(Truman, 2023, p.1). However, Albert Camus did not completely disagree with
Christianity. He recognized the benefits of the moral principles Christians
indoctrinate. He respected the positive influence Christianity had on society
(p.1). So despite his divod from god, he thought that believers and
non-believers had the potential to form a truce to work toward putting an end to
global suffering. He wanted people to make the most out of their time without
remaining under a veil of ignorance. Camus's individualism emphasized
freedom and responsibility. He wanted people to learn how to be happy
without forgetting the absurdity of their destiny.
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Ultimately, Camus would've believed the depression epidemic was inevitable. The repetition we all endure would send us into a spiraling realization of the absurdity in our world. Camus believed it is a natural response that we conscious beings are all bound to face. Parallels he has drawn in his essays and books all sketch out similar themes of absurdity. In The Myth of Sisyphus, the main philosophical theme is “Why should I not kill myself? In his book The Reble, the main theme is “Why should I not kill others”? Albert Camus answers that there is no “why” when questioning what happens in life because there is no meaning. He believes that life's indifferent nature will forever bring uncertainty into people's hearts. People will experience depression, they will suffer from morbid ideation, and they will continue to create religions based on fear and hope that death is not the end. Camu thinks that people's quality of life would greatly benefit from coming to terms with reality and accepting its absurdity. Be like Sisyphus and become the master of your days.
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References
AJ. (2023, October 21). He who despairs of the human condition is a coward, but he who has hope for it is a fool. Elevate Society. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://elevatesociety.com/he-who-despairs-of-the/
Albert Camus on suicide, absurdity, and the meaning of life. (2023, March 20). Big Think. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/the-meaning-of-life-albert-camus-on-faith-suicide-and-absurdity/
Albert camus on the meaning of life: Faith, suicide, and absurdity. (2023, February 21). TheCollector. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://www.thecollector.com/albert-camus-meaning-of-life/
Aronson, R. (2022). Albert camus. In E. N. Zalta & U. Nodelman (Eds.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2022.). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2022/entries/camus/
Camus, A. (1955). The Myth of Sisyphus. 1942. Translated by Justin O’Brien.
The nobel prize in literature 1957. (n.d.). NobelPrize.org. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1957/camus/biographical/
Truman, J. (2023, April 15). Does albert camus believe in god? A look at his philosophy - deepthinkers. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://www.deepthinkers.net/does-albert-camus-believe-in-god-a-look-at-his-philos
