Sometimes, we are not always given the best of options.



When all else fails, “Chuck it in the fuck it bucket” is always an ideal last resort

In the fairest of realities, we would always have at least one good option, and be able to sleep soundly with our decisions. Sadly, we do not live in that world, one where idealism reigns supreme, and that is the world we must make our last stand in, everyday of our lives. Sadly, this means having to make a less than pleasing judgement call from time to time, and the only solace we have at our disposal is that at least we still had a choice we could make, even if it was just the least worst one out of the bunch.

Philosophy, much like life, can be a hard pill to swallow, and that’s why it’s important to forge oneself in the fires of value, so that when we do have to commit to a moment of great pain, we can at least say to ourselves, we did everything we could to make the right call. Just because something is uncomfortable, doesn’t mean it’s not good, which is something you see in the everyday through personal growth, whether that be difficult video games, creative projects, learning experiences, grueling exercise, worthwhile relationships; you name it, life is filled with the uncomfortable, and it can be a hidden opportunity at the invaluable chance at self-betterment, however painful it may be.

I think the catalyst for thinking about having to deal with the hard choices, and the reality of having to live uncomfortably, came (mostly) from a recent book I just finished, written by Albert Camus, entitled Resistance, Rebellion, and Death. This philosophical tome is a collection of essays, and details some of his experiences as a French man, enduring the horrors of World War II. Being an existentialist, and more specifically, an absurdist, he thought existence really had no point, but that you had to laugh at the absurdity of it all, instead of being haunted by it. He even wrote about the notion about how the greatest rebellion one can commit to was enjoying life, in spite of the hollow idea of what it represented, and often, the suffering that would follow suit.

To wit; I leave you now with a passage he wrote about the difficulties involved with a situation that was less than ideal, his views on the matter, and living with the absurdity of it, in spite of the uncomfortable nature of choice involved:

“Personally, I have never wanted to stand apart. For the man of today, there is a sort of solitude, which is certainly the hardest thing an era forces upon us. I feel its weight, believe me. But, nevertheless, I should not want to change eras, for I also know and respect the greatness of this one. Moreover, I have always thought the maximum danger implied the maximum hope. One cannot avoid tackling certain subjects today. The most serious one is a problem for all men: in the struggles dividing the world today, must we really be willing to forget all that is bad on one side to fight what is worse on the other?

Before he died in combat in the last war, Richard Hilary found the phrase that sums up this dilemma: “We were fighting a lie in the name of a half-truth.” He thought he was expressing a very pessimistic idea. But one may even have to fight a lie in the name of a quarter-truth. This is our situation at present. However, the quarter-truth contained in Western society is called liberty. And liberty is the way, and the only way, of perfectibility. Without liberty, heavy industry can be perfected, but not justice or truth. Our most recent history, from Berlin to Budapest, ought to convince us of this. In any case, it is the reason for my choice.

I have said in this very place that none of the evils totalitarianism claims to remedy is worse than totalitarianism itself. I have not changed my mind. On the contrary, after twenty years of our harsh history, during which I have tried to accept every experience it offered, liberty ultimately seems to me, for societies and individuals, for labor and for culture, the supreme good that governs all others.” -pp. 247-248, Resistance, Rebellion, and Death, 1960.

As always, take care of yourself, and others.

~Pashford