The Silence That Remains
Absurdism, Faith, and the Inheritance of Meaning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33011/cuhj20264967Abstract
This creative research essay explores how individuals construct meaning in a world that offers none, drawing on the philosophy of absurdism and intergenerational experiences of faith, survival, and silence. Through personal narrative, philosophical reflection, and historical context, the essay examines the tension between the human desire for purpose and the world’s persistent refusal to provide it. Engaging with the work of Albert Camus, Viktor Frankl, and contemporary scholarship on absurdity, the piece situates absurdism as an honest response to suffering rather than a rejection of value. The essay weaves together the author’s experience of disbelief with a grandfather’s faith forged in the aftermath of the Holocaust, presenting prayer and creative expression as parallel acts of endurance. Ultimately, this work argues that meaning is not discovered but continually made through persistence, attention, and creation. By blending memoir with critical inquiry, the essay reframes absurdism as a lived practice and considers how humans continue to build purpose, connection, and beauty within an indifferent universe.
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11-August-2014
