it’s perfectly fine to want things to turn out well just as I think it’s perfectly fine to believe in fate, even if those beliefs aren’t necessarily justifiable. There’s something to be said about the immediate value of hope as a feeling: a subjective and unqualifiable state of mind that positively affirms the meaning of life. Better to allow oneself to feel hope and to articulate a vision of good living, which would enable us to pursue those activities that provide us with the most satisfaction, than to wage the unending war with absurdity that Camus favors. Sisyphus’ mindset is a strong asset to be sure - one that we ought to take advantage of when we find ourselves standing on that terrifying precipice - but is it so bad to indulge in positive emotion? If hope makes life seem worth living, then it's served its purpose. It can drive us to do far more good than we otherwise would, and it hardly makes a difference on a personal basis whether or not the reluctance to deal with absurdity is self-deception. PAGE 40 VOL. 1, NO. 1 ZEITGEIST Criticisms aside, Camus’ philosophy remains popular because it sets forth a powerful affirmation of life when all is lost. In a politically and economically catastrophized France after World War II, absurdism revitalized those downtrodden millions whose lives were acutely redefined by German occupation and the wanton bloodshed of war. It provided a reason to rebuild the crumbling ruins of Paris traumatized by the horrors of fascism. And though this year’s college application process is far less dramatic than the reconstruction of postwar Europe, we can nonetheless find reassurance in a Camusian perspective. For even if everything fails, merely the act of pouring one’s soul into life and relishing in it to the fullest offers enough pleasure to last an eternity. As you roll your boulder, stop wondering whether or not it’ll tumble back down. Instead, simply try your best and take pride in your efforts. That alone is enough, and that alone will give you reason to imagine yourself happy.
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