When You’re Drowning in Meaninglessness, Let Albert Camus Offer You a Rock and a Reason

In a world where anxiety, existential dread, and burnout have become daily companions, many of us are quietly asking a question we don’t always dare to say aloud: What’s the point of any of this?

Albert Camus, the Nobel Prize-winning French philosopher and writer, may not offer comforting clichés. But in his stark, powerful way, he offers something far more honest—a rock and a reason to keep pushing it uphill.

The Myth of Sisyphus: A Mirror for Modern Life

At the heart of Camus’ philosophy lies 'The Myth of Sisyphus', a short, dense essay that doesn’t pretend life is beautiful. Instead, it opens with what Camus called the only serious philosophical question: should we continue living in a meaningless world?

Sisyphus, a figure from Greek mythology, is condemned to roll a boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down again—for eternity. A punishment, yes. But for Camus, Sisyphus is us. The job that starts over every morning. The conversations that feel empty. The goals that never seem to satisfy us.

And yet, Camus doesn’t despair.

The Absurd: Where Logic Meets a Wall

Camus defines the absurd as the clash between our desire for meaning and the silent, indifferent universe. We crave clarity, purpose, and fairness. But life offers none of it—at least not on its own terms.

This realisation isn’t meant to lead us to hopelessness, though. Instead, Camus encourages us to rebel—not by escaping the absurd, but by acknowledging it and still choosing to live. His version of rebellion is quiet but bold: showing up each day, fully aware of life’s lack of inherent meaning, and choosing to live with curiosity and passion anyway.

Happiness as Resistance

Here’s where Camus becomes truly radical: he doesn’t end in despair. He ends with a strange, almost joyful sentence: "One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

Happy? The man cursed to eternal repetition?

Yes, says Camus, because Sisyphus is aware. He owns his fate. He finds meaning not in the rock itself, but in his relationship to it. By embracing the absurd and refusing to give in to despair or false hope, he gains a kind of freedom no god can take from him.

It’s not about pretending the struggle doesn’t exist. It’s about facing it with open eyes and saying, I choose to push anyway.

Camus in the Age of Burnout

Today, the absurd isn’t confined to a mountain in mythology. It’s found in unpaid internships, climate anxiety, endless news cycles, and the pressure to be “happy” and “productive” all the time. We may not be pushing literal rocks, but the metaphor still holds.

Camus’ message is especially powerful now because it doesn’t ask us to fake positivity. It asks us to live truthfully and courageously within the mess. It’s okay to feel lost. It’s okay not to have answers. The value lies in what we do next.

Choosing to Begin Anyway

When life feels like an uphill climb for no reward, Camus reminds us that we still get to choose how we walk. With awareness. With defiance. Maybe even with a small smile.

You don’t need to believe life has a grand, fixed purpose to make your days matter. Meaning isn’t handed to us—it’s made, moment by moment. It’s in showing up for a friend. In writing a line that feels true. In cooking a meal. In feeling deeply, even when it hurts.

That’s your rebellion. That’s your reason.

Also Read: When Silence Feels Louder Than Anything Else, Let Emily Dickinson Whisper What You Couldn’t Say

Camus doesn’t offer salvation. He offers something quieter, stronger, and more useful in dark times: clarity. He hands us the rock and says, “Yes, it’s heavy. But if you choose to carry it, make it yours.”

We don’t push the rock because we have to.

We push it because, in doing so, we become something more than helpless.

We become aware. We become alive.

And perhaps, like Sisyphus, we become free.