In Harold Ramis's "Groundhog Day" (1993), an intriguing comedy about repeating the past, Bill Murray is Phil Connors, an arrogantly self-centered and cynical TV weatherman, sent for the fifth time to the small town of Punxsutawney, PA to cover the Groundhog ceremony held every February 2nd. He stumbles into a time warp and winds up repeating the same day over and over again until forced to look at himself from the distance and to examine his attitude.
The theme of absurdity is greatly revealed in this film, which reminds me of the myth of Sisyphus. Phil has to live the same day over and over again, just like Sisyphus, who pushes up the rock over and over again. They all are involved in a repetitive tedious task in their life. People might assume that they would become bored and desperate about the situation, yet it is not the case. Phil goes through various stages of mind, from excited to bored to desperate to accepting. Sisyphus, similarly, acknowledges the futility of his task and the certainty of his fate, and thus reach a state of contented acceptance.
Camus believes that all human beings spend their lives on futile jobs and tasks, or the absurdity so to speak. Camus sees Sisyphus as the absurd hero who lives life to the full, hates death, and is condemned to a meaningless task. Just like Sisyphus, we are all doing things like pushing a rock up the mountain every day. There is no meaning, no purpose behind our work. Yet these meaningless tasks enrich our life, guiding us to live to the fullest. He also believes that the absurdity is the undeniable essence of human life. When we finally realize and accept this absurd nature, we reach content and happiness.
I personally think this philosophy of the absurd is quite passive and pessimistic. It calls for no meaning of life and that all we do is pointless. I hardly agree with this philosophy. Probably because I am still young and inexperienced, I believe our actions and decisions all have meaning. Our actions can affect ourselves, other people and the world. I still would like to look at our life in a much more positive and optimistic perspective than the philosophy of absurdity.
You're personal take on the absurd is very interesting to me. Although I usually think about the larger scheme of things when thinking of absurdism, I think it is important to remember that the things we do on a daily basis do have significance. Especially for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI think your idea that absurd is quite passive is really interesting. It is important to look at our life in a positive way,which will drive us to a better place.
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