COVID-19
The United Nations describes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which the World Health Organisation characterises as a pandemic, as a global health crisis. The United Nations, also describes COVID-19 as a human, economic and social crisis. It is a crisis that is attacking societies at their core.
As such, there is a general frustration and people clamour for us to return to normalcy. This is in the wake of social distancing protocols, quarantines, self-isolation, orders for shelter-in-place, interminable lockdowns and a halt on living life as we know it. This consequently affects school, work, travel, leisure and entertainment.
However, what is the normalcy that we are clamouring to return to? Were our lives before COVID-19 indeed normal? Does the effect of COVID-19 on our lives affirm the absurdity of life?
The Philosophy of Absurdism
To answer the above-mentioned questions, we will take a look at the philosophy of absurdism. This philosophy refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek the inherent value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any in a purposeless, meaningless universe. According to the philosophy of absurdism, this universe is also chaotic and irrational.
The Algerian French absurdist philosopher, Albert Camus, in his philosophical essay, “The Myth of Sisyphus”, uses the analogy of the Greek Myth of Sisyphus to exemplify the pointlessness of existence. Sisyphus, in the myth, is condemned for eternity to roll a rock up a hill. However, the rock rolls down to the bottom of the hill each time he rolls it up. He therefore has to start all over again.
Camus presents the ceaseless and pointless toil of Sisyphus as a metaphor for modern lives that we spend on working at futile jobs. He states that the workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks. As such, this fate is no less absurd than that of Sisyphus. We see this in how people live their lives as if they are not aware of the certainty of death. However, death is a mathematical certainty. Camus goes on to state that this is tragic only at the rare moment that one is conscious of it.
In the Myth of Sisyphus, Camus states that he is interested in Sisyphus at the moment when Sisyphus pauses and has to go down the hill after the rock falls back down the hill. At this moment, Sisyphus is forced to pause and reflect. Camus therefore claims that when Sisyphus acknowledges the futility of his task and the certainty of his fate, he is freed to realise the absurdity of his situation. Thus, he reaches a state of contented acceptance.
A Pause in our Daily Lives
The shelter-in-place and lockdown orders that Governments worldwide have imposed as a result of COVID-19 have resulted in a pause in our daily lives. This pause offers us, like Sisyphus, the opportunity to engage in a sober reflection of our lives. Stuck in our various homes with nowhere to go, the monotony of life and boredom becomes more apparent. Feelings of alienation, dread and lack of freedom run rampant. While the daily routine of our lives at home seem monotonous and absurd, we also realise the similar routine of our daily lives before COVID-19. We ponder on how we were stuck in the rat race cycle of life.
The drastic changes in our lifestyle make us realise how we unduly complicate our lives. We also contemplate the absurdity of the situation. As we go without the social amenities that we are used to, we realise the fact that we still exist despite the lack of familiar trappings. Suddenly, in the wake of quarantine and self-isolation, we understand that material things are of no value. As such, consumerism takes a nosedive. For instance, where do you drive your brand new car? Furthermore, where do you wear your designer clothing to? Therefore, what is the purpose of materialism in the face of a pandemic?
Does the Effect of COVID-19 Affirm the Absurdity of Life?
The pandemic has caused a countless number of deaths. As a result, this brings to the fore, the mathematical certainty of death. COVID-19 has also caused a high level of unemployment. This shows the hopelessness all around us. When a person loses his or her job, this results in the loss of the livelihood of that person and the dependants of that person. Consequently, this leads to an increase in poverty with a resultant increase in crime.
The aforementioned instances persuade us to view life as a vicious cycle and chaotic. It is difficult to understand life. There is a contradiction between the human desire to understand life and to find value and meaning in it and the human inability to achieve this in an irrational world. This consequently leads to absurdity. Can we therefore say that the effect of COVID-19 on our lives affirms the absurdity of life?
We follow shelter-in-place or lockdown orders and go through the same motions day in and day out, waiting for the scourge of COVID-19 to end. This reminds us of the play, “Waiting for Godot”. Samuel Barclay Beckett, the Irish novelist and playwright, wrote this play.
In the play, which is an example of the Theatre of the Absurd, two men, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for a third man, Godot, who never arrives. We describe the people waiting as representing mankind whereas Godot apparently represents the unknown. When we consider how COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill, can we say that the world is waiting for Godot? Can we deduce that the effect of COVID-19 on our lives affirms the absurdity of life?
Conclusion
Although the philosophy of absurdism scorns hope, we note that, there are bound to be better days ahead. This is in accordance with the proverbial saying that “Every cloud has a silver lining”. Hope is all that we have left now. We must cling to hope with fervour in order not to lose our sanity.
There has to be light at the end of this tunnel, even if it is a faint glimmer.
*The writer seeks to draw similarities between the effect of COVID-19 on our lives and some aspects of the philosophy of absurdism. The aim is not to promote the philosophy of absurdism as a whole.
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