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Ghosts in the Mirror

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Deep down the mysterious continent of Asia, laden with centuries upon centuries of legends and stories to tell, lies the land of a thousand dynasties, China. The people of this land are known most for their vast seas of wisdom and spirituality. Their eyes look through the physical and value beauty on the purity of the soul and the mind, as we are going to see in the tears falling from the eyes of Zhong Kui, the King of Ghosts.

Bright minds are the spark of civilization yet no mind can shine brighter than Zhong Kui’s:

The hero of this story was a true genius, had the highest grades in his class, was the favorite of all his teachers, and was the teacher of all his classmates. A man of such talents deserves no less than the highest of honors and positions, and so was his thinking. Zhong Kui chose to apply for the imperial examination, to become an advisor of the king and do his part in the rising of his empire.

People in the imperial palace were astonished by Zhong’s brilliant answers and immediately invited him to assume his new position. The emperor, a pretentious man, all too pompous for the common folk was the type of man that wishes everything to be perfect and all too beautiful. He sat on his golden throne wearing the finest of his silk robes and a crown made of pure jade was resting on his head, waiting for our hero’s presence.

Zhong Kui finally arrived at the doors of the palace and presented himself to the guards who allowed his immediate entry. He could not be happier, but all of his joy sunk to the depths of the earth when he entered the emperor’s courtroom. The king gave the highest shriek when helaid his eyes on Zhong. He felt pure disgust as he looked upon our genius’ misshapen eyes and overgrown ears. He almost puked as he looked at our prodigy’s ragged clothes and dirty hair, and immediately expelled him from the palace vowing to never let something so horrendous sit on his imperial tables.

Zhong Kui wept his eyes dry as he left the presence of the emperor and walked with what he thought was shame until he reached the huge metal doors of the palace. Before leaving, he looked at his reflection on those doors and felt so much anger for the world that birthed him in such a fashion, and with so much rage and sadness building in his heart, he struck his head on the door, once, twice, and thrice, until his blood splattered all over it, and he kept beating on his brow until he fell on the ground dead, another victim of suicide.

Fortunately, his story does not end with his untimely death. As his soul traveled to the underground, it caught the eye of the King of Hell and fascinated by its purity, and sensing the talents of the new arrival. He knew that Zhong Kui was way too special to waste.

He honored him with a greater title than he could ever wish for in the emperor’s palace. He named him King of Ghosts and Hunter of Demons. Zhong was delighted and vowed to do right by his new duty, protecting all humans, including the emperor that caused him nothing but depression.

With plenty to take from between the lines of this tale, we can start with the fact that words are as sharp as swords and they can shred a soul to bits leaving a person broken, never to be repaired. There is no ugly, or hideous, there is only different. 

There are no two humans on this earth that look alike and that’s what makes being human beautiful. It’s okay to have features unlike those you see in the media and pictures of models, for those features are you and nothing is as pretty as your love for yourself. Beauty too can come in so many forms, and to the forces of nature, illustrated in this story by the King of Hell and God of Death, the most natural of all forces, nothing is more important than the beauty of your mind.

Superficiality is killed when the eyes are closed to let the ears hear the magnificent words coming out of your mouth, to understand the purity of your golden ideas, and to feel the true essence of what truly is you beneath the shell that might or might not be attractive by the common definition.

To wrap up the story of a prodigy and his unjust end, I advise each and every one of you to stand in front of a mirror and say that you are beautiful because if you accept it, no sword can scathe your soul. And you are not just beautiful because of what you look like, you are beautiful because of what you feel, because of what you think about when you steer away with your thoughts in public, you are beautiful because of what you love and what you cherish, because of the art that leaks like rainbows from your mind and most importantly, you are beautiful because you wake up and live every day to the fullest despite what the poison you hear from the people in your life.

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Albert Camus on Absurdism and The Beauty of Pushing Rocks.

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“What’s the meaning of life?”

 

A question that we all have pondered over. Yet, there seems to be no clear answer, or at least, no definite one.

 

The meaning of life is a long-standing subject of philosophical inquiry. While some nihilists and pessimists deem it as an impossible equation to solve – concluding that life is meaningless and one should grow indifferent towards it–, many other philosophers spent most of their lives searching for ‘The answer’, only to arrive at drastically different conclusions. It’s as if the answer refuses to be found, yet the urge to ask the same question remains.

This conflict between humanity’s desire for meaning and the universe’s indifference is what Albert Camus called The Absurd. This absurdity arises from humanity’s restlessness, always asking “Why?” despite the clear lack of answers. So, instead of hopping on this endless search, Camus decided to change the question altogether.

“We must ask: is it possible to live without appeal?”

 

His answer was yes, arguing that we should not let ourselves search in vain for the meaning of life, but rather, let go of it entirely.

However, grasping such a concept is not an easy task. For how can you ask someone to accept letting go of the only thing that fuels their existence and gives sense to it?

Well, Absurdism dares to argue that acceptance is what will eventually lead to liberation.

When one is going through an existential crisis, Albert Camus proposes 3 solutions:

Solution 1: You run, in a metaphorical sense, by finding meaning in things or concepts that bring you peace and solace such as religion, moral values, principles, and guidelines…. However, this can be considered as philosophical suicide, because you are running away from the problem instead of confronting the possibility of failing at solving its very question. Escapism can never be the answer, especially when these external sources may not resonate with everyone.

Solution 2: You put an end to your life (Do not recommend).

Solution 3: You accept that there is no answer, that life is indeed meaningless, yet, still worth living. You simply move on.

 

The core of Absurdism aims to end one’s futile suffering and push people into embracing life despite the lack of inherent meaning. Giving up on finding ‘The answer’ will definitely be more challenging than the pursuit of discovering it but the consequences will be way less daunting. Here, one can notice that Absurdism and Stoicism meet. Both philosophies encourage people to accept what one can not control without deeming it as a failure but rather as a strength. You can only suffer if you choose to. It all boils down to a matter of choice at the end. What you give importance to will eventually affect you positively or negatively and it is your responsibility to choose well.

 

Perhaps, to better understand The Absurd one should take a look at the Greek myth of Sisyphus: A former king condemned by the gods to push a boulder uphill for all eternity only to watch it roll back down again once he reaches the hill’s summit. Sisyphus’s punishment is the perfect analogy to humanity’s unending search for meaning. For what’s more absurd than repeating a futile task to pursue a goal that can never be achieved?

Through his studies of this myth, Camus has come to one important and radical conclusion:

“One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”

 

But, happy in what sense?

How can someone be truly happy if their whole life is reduced to consecutive failures?

Doesn’t true happiness lie in achieving goals? What’s the point of any of this?

Well, for once, we have an answer:

Perhaps happiness is found in the uncertainty of it all.

Sure, for Sisyphus pushing a rock up a hill over and over again must be exhausting. But did you ever wonder if he grows to enjoy it over time? If all that eternal meaningless labor becomes an art of his own?

Camus likes to imagine Sisyphus smiling every time the rock rolls down the hill, for amid all that absurdity, the Greek king has found meaning: To revolt by making his punishment self-justifying.

Sisyphus fully accepts his situation and hence, he allows himself to give it his all by living with passion, even if that passion consists of pushing a ridiculously heavy rock forever (to each their own, no judgment).

 

Now, how can we apply Absurdism to our daily lives?

First, it’s vital to take everything with a grain of salt. Philosophy is made to aid humans during their journeys on earth, not to further complicate it. Hence, dearest reader, it is you who decides what to take and what to reject from every proposed belief. For theoretically, the idea of remaining indifferent in the face of meaninglessness can seem doable. But in reality, it’s easier said than done. One must admit that at times staring into the absurdity of life without succumbing to despair or trying to claw meaning out of the leftover pieces can seem impossible. Yet, spending the rest of our lives anxiously clinging to questions and participating in a cyclic race with no view of the finish line is also self-destructive. So, I personally believe that a balanced approach is the answer.

 

Living authentically, finding joy within the struggle, and embracing the chaos of it all are valuable principles that any absurdist stands for. Not knowing which path to take or what decision to make, and feeling constantly lost and adrift, are inevitable human experiences that each one of us went through at least once in his life. What matters the most is actively choosing to seize the suffering of desperately holding on to the ‘perfect’, whether it is the perfect career, the perfect relationship, the perfect life, or even the perfect lunch. Within hardship, the act of pushing through itself will become the meaning. Constantly worrying about the outcome and isolating oneself from the joys of the world will only bring despair and recurrent dissatisfaction. In that case, life will simply pass you by and you’ll only be a spectator.

 

In the end, meaning is not found but rather created. And if Sisyphus, a former king who’s condemned to spend the rest of eternity pushing a rock up and down a hill, has found happiness, then so can you.

Written By : Fatma Ben Romdhane.

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