Absurdism
Absurdism is the philosophical theory that existence in general is absurd, meaning that the world lacks meaning or a higher purpose and is not fully intelligible by reason. 1
This is one of the subjects that a friend who was in search of the meaning of life wanted to discuss with me. And I told him that I agree life is indeed absurd if finding a meaning in life is our only lifelong pursuit.
Today is Easter Sunday and for most non-believers, it is absurd that Christians believe that a savior died on the cross for them. Why would we worship someone who was crucified? Why would God lower himself to be a human being only to be killed by human beings? Isn’t it absurd to worship a God that is so absurd?
I skied with my granddaughter Sophie yesterday, just the two of us. During our previous visits to Aspen, I have always skied alongside Sophie and my son, taking videos, and cheering her on. My son Teddy spent yesterday teaching my second granddaughter Lauren to ski, so I ended up skiing with Sophie alone. In the afternoon, Teddy and the two girls swam in the pool, and they were having such a great time that their laughter and giggles just filled the whole pool. During the pandemic, Teddy spent an incredible amount of time at home watching his two daughters literally grow up in
front of him. I would say that the special bonds and close relationships he has with his two girls are just amazing blessings. So, in talking with my friend, the one who wanted to discuss about the absurdism of life, I told him that instead searching for meaning, we should focus on developing relationships, including a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is through our relationship with Jesus that we shall experience the personality and character of who God is. It is only when we have a relationship will we then understand the seeming absurdism of Christ’s death on the cross and the triumphant resurrection that Christians are celebrating today.
The name of our nonprofit is UnCommon Voices Collective. UVC’s foundation is theology and relationships (community). Our theology guides our intention (being) and behavior (doing) in building relationships one person at a time. Connecting humanity to the personality and character of Jesus Christ is our mission. Currently, in this season, we are addressing how Jesus Christ deals with our fears through our creative interpretations of various media projects in the genre of horror and faith.
Our “Blue House” is situated in the center of Pasadena, and it is here that the seed of a new community is being planted. The fear of not knowing ourselves propels the need for many to embark on the “absurd” journey to find oneself. To me, this fear of self-ignorance is the root of the current ignored pandemic of identity crises, with the proliferation of all kinds of mental health issues as its symptoms. Finding ourselves and searching for the meaning of life are parts of the absurdism of life. They are dead-end pursuits that may lead to depression and self-destruction when meaninglessness is the only possible result.
My strongest argument in support of my thesis is personal. It’s the joy I feel when I was skiing with Sophie and teaching her how to get up on the ski slope and how to put on the skis by herself when she fell. Just hearing the joyful screaming and giggling of my granddaughters swimming with my son brought immense warmth to my heart. As usual, Maryann and I have our annual ski gathering with a close group of Harvard classmates. We ski together. We cook together. We laugh, we argue, and we grow old with each other. Since the passing of my parents over twenty years ago, I and my five
younger sisters and our families have been having annual family reunions. All thirty of the entire Fong family will be in Venice Italy this coming June. These relationships in my life are precious and joyful and I don’t need any understanding of the meaning of life or whether I know myself or not. I believe these are pop culture lies that distract us from focusing on developing deep and loving relationships with ourselves, our families and our communities. Instead of trying to save the world, why don’t we all try to spend a little more time working on saving our relationships?