‘Of a thing: against or without reason or propriety; incongruous, unreasonable, illogical’. We all have causes which seem absurd; whether they be belief in the unknown; trust in what cannot be seen; irrational fears; unreasonable and illogical ideas and conceptions as well as a fear of the unknown. I put the latter in as we are naturally inclined to fear what we don't know or understand. This fear although completely real when felt is utterly absurd.
Absurdity, then, is not merely a flaw in logic or a failure of reason; it is a fundamental condition of human experience. We are creatures who seek meaning in a world that offers no clear answers, who demand coherence from systems that resist it, and who construct elaborate explanations to soothe an unease we rarely admit to ourselves. The absurd arises precisely at this intersection: between our hunger for certainty and the universe’s indifference to it.
Much of what we call “belief” exists not because it is reasonable, but because it is comforting. Faith in unseen forces, destinies, or hidden orders often fills the gaps left by uncertainty. These beliefs are not inherently foolish, yet they rest on foundations that logic cannot fully support. We trust what cannot be proven, hope in outcomes we cannot predict, and cling to narratives that grant us a sense of control. In this way, absurdity becomes a coping mechanism - a way of making the unbearable tolerable.
Fear plays an equally powerful role. The unknown terrifies us not because it is dangerous by nature, but because it resists classification. We fear what we cannot name, measure, or anticipate. Darkness is frightening not for what it contains, but for what it conceals. This fear is instinctive and deeply rooted, and yet, when examined, it collapses under scrutiny. The emotion is genuine, but its cause is often imagined. Here lies the paradox: our feelings are real, but the logic behind them is not.
Human thought is riddled with contradictions of this kind. We pride ourselves on rationality while acting irrationally. We value reason yet allow emotion to dictate decisions. We reject illogical arguments while defending illogical positions of our own. The absurd does not exist outside us - it thrives within us. It is present in the superstitions we mock but secretly observe, the risks we fear disproportionately, and the explanations we invent when truth is too unsettling.
Philosophically, the absurd has often been framed as a conflict between meaning and meaninglessness. We ask questions - Why are we here? What is the purpose of this? - and receive no definitive response. The silence that follows is unsettling.To live with it requires either acceptance or rebellion. Some choose to imposemeaning where none is evident; others embrace the lack of it. Both responses are,in their own way, absurd. Yet they are also deeply human.
Perhaps the true absurdity lies not in our fears or beliefs, but in our refusal to acknowledge them as such. We spend considerable effort disguising our uncertainties, presenting confidence where there is doubt and logic where there is none. To admit absurdity feels like weakness, yet it may be the most honest position available to us. Accepting that much of life is unreasonable frees us from the exhausting pursuit of perfect sense.
In the end, absurdity is unavoidable. It is woven into our thinking, our emotions, and our attempts to understand a world that does not owe us clarity. Rather than something to be eradicated, it may be something to be recognized—and even embraced. For in acknowledging the absurd, we confront the limits of reason and, paradoxically, come closer to understanding ourselves.