Just finished the stranger. Really resonated with me. I really feel as if i can relate to Meursault very well...

OP asked "How can spur a change in myself and not be so fucking boring and absentminded all the time?", he didn't say "hey guys lets discuss this book I just read". Either way I wouldn't want to discuss literature with someone who's stuck in the "normies ree" mode of thinking, which as the fpbp pointed out belongs in .

You could discuss absurdism

Do you honestly think that the status quo of the masses is never an appropriate concept to help described feeling different from mainstream culture? Seriously?

now read The Plague and see if you connect with the community

But to answer OP's question: read more, read a lot, read wide and deep, and don't stop until you die. If you want to change you need to do it yourself, and hopefully if you read the right stuff you will realize how to live well. Of course you could sit and think the rest of your life and try to figure it out on your own, but I think it helps to consult the wisdom of the past through reading.

If you thought the theme was to enjoy life you are sadly mistaken.

I think everyone experiences some form of alienation, and no one is as special as they think. "the masses" is a unhelpful concept because it usually implies that the person who sees himself outside of it also places himself above it. You should stop thinking about other people and start thinking about bettering yourself. "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye"

Most people are overly empathetic and hyper sensitive. I'm like you user. And I'm older, so don't let these faggots tell you your going to grow out of it.

I have a child now, two years old, finally know what love and empathy feel like.

shit like this makes me hate camus more than anything else desu

I too just finished The Stranger. I think you missed out on something that was omnipresent throughout: Meursault didn't really narrate well, or rather he forgot to include certain details. His entire narration is almost like a dry, rational read of life, completely absent of the things that make us human.

He isn't a portrayal of a human, nor is he meant to be seen as some sort of relateable being: he is the embodiment of an irrational universe that is kind, uncarring, and has no basis or reason for his action. The trial is meant to symbolize society attempting to put reason and logic into his actions, must like humans who try and put reason and logic into the universe. God, as he is discussed in the book, is an embodiment of rational thinking (God works in mysterious ways).

The Stranger is just that, a person whom is strange to a society because they cannot understand him on any level, and attempt to rationalize his behaviour in the context of their own lives.

You are not Meursault, nor could anyone be Meursault.

go back to /mlp/

He did not offer a personal interpretation, he offered his pity story.

Hint for OP: no book will ever give you the answer to life. You can glean insights from books but it is worth naught if you don't have the capability or capacity to bring forth the change yourself.

t. man who is unable to bring about positive change for himself but in general does not bitch about it on chinese imageboards for pity points and most certainly doesn't bitch about 'normals'

while I am on a rant, if there is one thing you should learn from Meursault it is that understanding others is most definitely not the point of life, but rather understanding who it is you are.

Maybe not 'the theme,' but absurdism does propose the idea life's meaninglessness and encourages a person to make the most of their existence

>how can I spur change in myself?
How is this even a question you fucking cuck you just do it. Also get a haircut, you sound like the kind of guy to have really shitty hair like an unwashed Dave Mustaine.

I don't think the OP was placing himself above. He said he couldn't understand. You think understanding the drives of mainstream culture, the values that are shared by most other people, is a waste of time?

It's ironic because I would actually say that to live a happy and virtuous life we need to be more curious about others than we are of ourselves. Generally people are too self centred and unable to be genuinely curious about others.

Try again. Absurdism doesn't state that life is meaningless—thats reserved for Nihilism. But that all depends on your definition. If you read "The Myth of Sisyphus" you can get a clearer understanding of Camus' philosophy.

In general, though, I believe it to be true that Absurdism promotes the idea that life has a definite end, and when and where you die is pointless. Furthermore, life being lived is a struggle against the forces of the universe. The human condition—the attempt to reason with an unreasonable world—has no purpose in Absurdism. Attempting to make sense of the irrational world is pointless, not life itself. Therefor your conclusion is right, but your premise is wrong.

I hate camus because his style is so pretentious. His content really is quality though.

I'm reading Yotsubato volume 1 in Japanese

Fair enough. You're right. I'll agree with you. I whine too much, but i have recognized it and am working on it.

I can recall that at the end while he struggles to organize his thoughts, Meursault states that his dying then or 20 years in the future wouldn't be any different because he is dying regardless. Guess that relates to the meaningless of where death happens.

I'll read the myth of sisyphus, thanks

You caught all of that on your first run through?

DUDE WEED LOOOOOOOL!!!

Take a deep breath, user. You don't need to go looking for internet fights everywhere.

>Absurdism doesn't state that life is meaningless
Yes it does. How could you possibly think that Absurdism doesn't necessitate meaninglessness? Its so central to Absurdism that Camus doesn't even try to prove it, he assumes it as a starting point. If the world has meaning then the Absurd does not exist because the Absurd is defined as the relation between man, a being who longs for meaning, and a universe that has none. If the universe has meaning then that relation doesn't happen, since it is that particular relation that is the Absurd.

Albert Camus wasn't a real absurdist