How should we live, in order to "live a good life"? For someone such as Albert Camus, author of The Myth of Sisyphus, living a good life would involve living freely. Camus believed strongly that we as humans should not hope for anything. Nothing is guaranteed to us; we could literally drop dead at any moment. Camus believed everyone should live in the moment. His essays suggest we should accept whatever our actions result in, no matter how bad it is; as long as we find happiness in the present, we would be considered to be living a good life. It is easy to see why Camus would think this way, as he wrote this book while he was living in France during World War Two. Camus also wrote his essay based on how he lived his life, as he was known to
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First, Camus talks about the adventurer in his essay. He suggests the adventurer feels “[...] action is in itself useless” (87). He is simply acting as if. Camus does not believe in hoping for a better future. He feels taking any risk is fine, because what do we have to lose? However, in many stories, such as The Magnificent Seven, the adventurer dies. Is it possible to live a good life if you are dead? Camus believes religion is false hope and that nothing will happen when we die, so Camus himself may say no. Additionally, living in the moment can take multiple meanings. For example, college campuses are home to great amounts of sexual activity, and sexually transmitted diseases. Yes, students have the option to really live in the moment in college. But, they could contract something that will impact them in a negative way for the rest of their lives. Or, we could examine the diet of someone who lives in the moment. In the 21st century, we have a great amount of knowledge as to what people should and should not be eating. Yet, most Americans eat a high fat, high sugar, high salt diet (the western diet), which research has suggested takes a large toll on an individual’s health. If a person lived on a diet that was composed mainly of large quantities of processed sugar, artificial ingredients, and fats simply because they liked it, they could shorten their lifespan greatly. In this case, it could also lead to obesity, …show more content…
For example, living freely could be defined as not going to work. Camus does not support people who he says are asleep, i.e. they stay on a “hamster wheel” and do the same thing repeatedly. He would suggest we should quit whatever is keeping us in a routine, no matter what it is. In the twenty-first century, money is not always easy to come by. To quit any job of any magnitude should require serious consideration. It is one thing if you are changing to a new job. However, to quit a job completely and lose your primary source of income is not practical. Without money, a person is unable to afford anything. And, who knows what type of opportunities the job could have given? A promotion or corporate retreat could have been in the future. Additionally, as a freshman in high school, I was naturally skinny and did not need to study for my classes, as the material came naturally. I thought I could live in the moment and everything would be fine. I failed my first algebra test in my freshman year. Since then, I have learned that nothing in life worth having is given to you. You have to work long, hard hours to get what you want in life. To me, I wanted good grades and a solid physique. I worked at both daily. I achieved my goal, graduating magna cum laude and currently holding a physique of 185 pounds at about ten percent body fat. However, I could have chosen to live in
First, Camus talks about the adventurer in his essay. He suggests the adventurer feels “[...] action is in itself useless” (87). He is simply acting as if. Camus does not believe in hoping for a better future. He feels taking any risk is fine, because what do we have to lose? However, in many stories, such as The Magnificent Seven, the adventurer dies. Is it possible to live a good life if you are dead? Camus believes religion is false hope and that nothing will happen when we die, so Camus himself may say no. Additionally, living in the moment can take multiple meanings. For example, college campuses are home to great amounts of sexual activity, and sexually transmitted diseases. Yes, students have the option to really live in the moment in college. But, they could contract something that will impact them in a negative way for the rest of their lives. Or, we could examine the diet of someone who lives in the moment. In the 21st century, we have a great amount of knowledge as to what people should and should not be eating. Yet, most Americans eat a high fat, high sugar, high salt diet (the western diet), which research has suggested takes a large toll on an individual’s health. If a person lived on a diet that was composed mainly of large quantities of processed sugar, artificial ingredients, and fats simply because they liked it, they could shorten their lifespan greatly. In this case, it could also lead to obesity, …show more content…
For example, living freely could be defined as not going to work. Camus does not support people who he says are asleep, i.e. they stay on a “hamster wheel” and do the same thing repeatedly. He would suggest we should quit whatever is keeping us in a routine, no matter what it is. In the twenty-first century, money is not always easy to come by. To quit any job of any magnitude should require serious consideration. It is one thing if you are changing to a new job. However, to quit a job completely and lose your primary source of income is not practical. Without money, a person is unable to afford anything. And, who knows what type of opportunities the job could have given? A promotion or corporate retreat could have been in the future. Additionally, as a freshman in high school, I was naturally skinny and did not need to study for my classes, as the material came naturally. I thought I could live in the moment and everything would be fine. I failed my first algebra test in my freshman year. Since then, I have learned that nothing in life worth having is given to you. You have to work long, hard hours to get what you want in life. To me, I wanted good grades and a solid physique. I worked at both daily. I achieved my goal, graduating magna cum laude and currently holding a physique of 185 pounds at about ten percent body fat. However, I could have chosen to live in