The Human Condition
“…without divinity there can be no presumed code of conduct for human beings, nor any explanation of life’s meaning. We are simply thrown into the world and the outcome is death, pure and simple. There is only life before and nothing beyond.”
Albert Camus held this view point on life and human existence. This belief seems to stem from Camus’s realization of The Absurd. Camus’s Absurdity is “…a pointless quest for meaning in a universe devoid of purpose.” He recognized the human condition. Daily, humans strive for a goal that they have defined for themselves. In creating this goal, humans create purpose for themselves. These goals may include, but are not limited to, relationships, a career, or knowledge. Camus defines an Absurd Hero as one who recognizes this fate of a pointless “quest for purpose.” By recognizing the human condition, a character such as Meursault or Sisyphus, become Absurd Heroes.
Camus has recognized the human condition. However, he has flaws in his interpretation. Humans are born into the world without knowledge of their purpose. This is part of the human condition, commonly called in religious circles as “the curse.” This condition originated with man’s first sin in the Garden of Eden. As man was no longer up to God’s standards due to this act of disobedience, a curse was placed on mankind. Man would now be born already tainted by sin. One of the effects of this is an inability to recognize the purpose of man. Thus, man lives aimlessly when left to his own defective resources (heart, mind, other humans). Man then tries to create purpose for himself through the flawed things in this world. Camus recognizes this and the pointlessness of this “quest for purpose.” What Camus fails to recognize is that the situation is not hopeless. One does not just have to accept his or her condition. The answer lies in something or someone not affected by this curse/condition. It is humans’ Creator who defined the purpose of humans when humans were first created.
Searching for purpose is an innate piece of human nature. “Why are we here” has been a question for thousands of years. All humans fight to survive each day. Why would we fight to survive if we know that there is no purpose for us here? Obviously, humans believe they have a purpose, or else survival would not be a natural instinct. One could conclude that Camus must have thought of suicide as an adequate end to an Absurd Hero. However, this is not the case; Camus viewed suicide as a “…lack of understanding” of absurdity. The hero is to “die unreconciled and not voluntarily.” Camus expectation for an Absurd Hero may be able to be created in a fictional novel, but it is unrealistic for an actual human being to be an Absurd Hero. Camus’s Absurd Hero does not find living knowing that he has no purpose as hopeless whereas if a human were to truly, wholeheartedly believe this, he or she would find this hopeless to some extent because humans innately seek purpose.
God created man in the beginning of the world. Although one can not claim to understand God’s purposes fully, through His Word, the purpose of man as defined by God as man’s Creator, is to develop a personal relationship with Him and bring glory to His Name. The human condition kept humans from this relationship and from bringing glory to God. God, however, unconditionally loved His creation of mankind to the extent that He sent a part of Himself to die to reconcile humans with Himself. Humans simply have to come to the realization of the human condition and their personal condition and trust in the truth and power of God’s sacrifice.
Man innately searches for purpose and fights for survival because he or she wishes to discover this purpose. However, as Camus discovered, man will not find purpose in this world. If man tries to find purpose in this world, it will be meaningless, and man will have to create purpose for himself. This purpose will be flawed as man is flawed. Outside of this world and the human condition, however, is where man can discover his or her purpose. As Camus believed, “without divinity there can be no…explanation of life’s meaning.”
