Exploring Existentialism
...nd focus on what the society (meaning a large complex of human relationships) deems appropriate for your age. An example being, on your 40th birthday, you decide to give up your dream of becoming an established writer, and focus on your ho-hum 9 to 5 job, being married and having a family. Which brings in the idea of the “social norm.” Social, as Berger describes it as the interaction among people, in a smaller sense than that of a society. The “social norm” is years and years of smaller interactions of mankind, which has produced this confinement of freedom. Inside this confinement, is what is “right, “wrong,” “acceptable,” “unacceptable” and the freedom to choose among these choices already given to you. For example, you have the freedom to choose to wear either a green shirt or a red shirt. This is the freedom to choose what you want but only in the confinement of the choices given to you. Actual freedom would mean being able to wear a blue shirt, or no shirt at all. This idea of society’s rules is a pretty dismal thought, but Berger goes on to explain that humans strive for these goals, we want to follow the rules, and we want what society has expected of us. Berger also talks about the act of “othering.” We as human beings compare ourselves to others. In order to define ourselves we need the existence of the other. In order to be medium height, we need the existence of a short person and a tall person. We “other” people in a positive sense and a negative sense. For example, we define ourselves through the good qualities of others, they are nice, and we want to be nice. We also define ourselves through the bad qualities of others, they are mean, and we don’t want to be mean. Like our biography we are constantly changing ourselves, to fit in, be equal or be better than others. “Othering” is in direct correlation with “good” faith and “bad” faith. “Good” faith as described by Berger is making a decision and committing to it whether it is the “right” decision or not. An example being: The high-jackers on Sept. 11th, which assumed the pilots position. They knew what the plan was (to crash the plane into the towers) and they followed it because they believed in it, they made the decision and committed to it. Bad Faith as explained by Berger is, making a decision and committing to it, even though you do not believe in the decision you made or you do not want bear the consequences of choosing another route. For example: Nazi soldiers who killed innocent Jews because if they didn’t, they would be persecuted for not doing so. They had the choice of being persecuted or killing Jews, they chose to kill whether they believed in it or not, because they didn’t want to face the consequences of making the other decision. The novel, The Stranger tells the story of Meursault, a man that does not fit into the “social norm.” Due to the fact that he does not want to play the game of life and fit into the mold that has been presented to him, he is deemed the stranger, hence the title.Throughout the book Meursault remains psychologically detached from the world around him. Certain situations in life that would effect most people, like death ormarriage, do not seem to phase Meursault. Several quotes from the book explain this theory. “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours. That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.” His mother dies and yet he has no reaction, only that he ponders on what day it happened. This is important in that he is trying to purposefully forget the date, remembering to forget and remembering to remember when useful. “She said, if you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.” Through this quote Meursault realizes the understanding of the human condition: man is born into a life and the only way out is death. Like the harsh effects of the sun, death is unavoidable. Which brings in Camus’s philosophy that death is the inescapable, central, fact of life. “A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so.” Here we learn the honesty and bluntness of Meursault. He is aware that he is different from the “social norm” but he will not shy away from it. He is making his choice and committing to it, even if the result leaves him alone in society. He is also showing signs of his detachment and feeling of the meaninglessness of life. He has not found the truth of his life, the purpose, in which people strive for. Or perhaps he has found the purpose, but does not like the outcome; therefore his actions become the opposite of what his purpose is. Perhaps he sees his future, as being married, working, maybe children and then inevitably death. He decides to do all the actions that would cause an opposite reaction or purpose, like not caring, being indifferent because he does not want death to be the inevitable. “I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” This quote reveals Meursalt’s belief in the equality of human life and how he believes that death is the force behind the constant, unchangeable nature of human life. We all go through life constantly adding to our biography and changing our viewpoints and for what reason? Because in the back of our heads we realize we are going to die, and we want our biography to tell something about ourselves. “As if the blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself, so like a brother, really I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” In these last lines o...