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comment by edricarica
edricarica  ·  3431 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski, Who is Your Favorite Philosopher and Why?

When I was 22 I attempted suicide and wound up in hospital and for the next year I walked around in a daze wanting not to be alive anymore.

On a rainy London day in the midst of that haze, I wandered into Foyle's. I headed to the coffee shop on the third floor. There was a display of copies of Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. I opened it...

... and didn't close it until I'd finished reading every word.

And I sort of got my life back on track after that.

So, yeah. I agree with you, Formerly_Me and deepflows, on Camus.





OO  ·  3429 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Now I really want to read The Myth of Sisyphus.

I've read the Amazon review of this book, and they all seemed generally super positive. I'm looking forward into reading this copy. Thanks :)

edricarica  ·  3429 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    Now I really want to read The Myth of Sisyphus.

I hope that you don't need to read it for the same reasons I needed to read it... :)

tnec  ·  3431 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Camus is really great at describing the human condition.

Formerly_Me  ·  3431 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I had a pretty similar experience. My mom died when I was 14 and I felt I had nothing more to live for. For two years I deeply considered suicide and even attempted it because I didn't feel the world needed me. Sisyphus was the first thing I read by Camus, and it really opened my eyes. I went on to read the Stranger and the Plague as well. I tried reading and connecting with Sartre, but I didn't feel like he understood why life was worth living. Camus did. That's why I feel Camus is one of the greatest philosophers. He may have preached that life is absurd, but he also showed why that wasn't bad. He trekked down the existential path and found something much better than nihilism.