Absurdity, Angst, Meaning, and Us

Absurdity creeps in through routine; angst follows. This essay explores how meaning-making becomes our quiet rebellion against the void

Absurdity cracks the foundation on which we stand; angst is the burden to fill the crack.

Arun Kumar

Summary: This essay explores the quiet intrusion of absurdity into everyday life and its emotional counterpart, existential angst. It traces how these experiences prompt a profound human response: an urge for creation of meaning.

Sometime in the middle of going through the motions of living — perhaps while brushing teeth and looking at our face in the mirror or lying awake in the wee hours of morning thinking about the day ahead — there comes an awkward moment. A pause. A quiet rupture in the random meanderings of our ever-shifting mind. The thought arises, unbidden yet disturbing: This all feels so absurd.

It is not a dramatic revelation, nor a philosophical awakening. It is quieter than that. It is a whisper in the mind. The absurd does not announce itself with grandeur; it creeps in through the cracks in the routine; through the repetition of days that feel both full and yet hollow (or shall we say, absurd). Getting out of bed suddenly becomes a Sisyphean struggle — not because the body is weary, but because the spirit questions the very point of the climb.

Absurdity, in its essence, is a rupture, a dissonance between what we expect and what reality offers. We expect coherence. We long for a narrative, a purpose that threads through our days. We want our lives to matter, not just to ourselves but to something larger, something cosmic. Yet the universe, vast and indifferent, offers none. It spins on, unbothered by our yearnings.

If there were a designer, and if that designer had a teleological blueprint for the cosmos, we might gladly align our lives with that trajectory. We would shape our days to serve that purpose, and to contribute to the grand design. But in the absence of such a design, we are left to navigate on our own. The stone we push uphill each day does not roll back because of failure; it rolls back because when we arrive at the summit, there is nothing waiting there. Discouraged, we let the stone go.

And so, the absurd settles in.

From Absurdity to Existential Angst

The recognition of our absurd predicament gives rise to existential angst.

Absurdity and existential angst are distinct yet intimately connected facets of the human condition. Absurdity is an outcome of a structural dissonance. It is not an emotional state but a philosophical recognition of a rupture between expectation and reality.

Existential angst is the emotional response to absurdity. It is not a fear tethered to any specific threat, but a diffuse and silent dread — an unease that arises when we confront the burden of choice, the imperative to act, and the necessity of self-definition in a world devoid of predetermined meaning. Angst is the psychological weight of autonomy: the discomfort that surfaces when we wonder whether we are truly up to the task of shaping our life without guidance or a manual. It is starting a journey unaccompanied by a map. [Angst: A feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about human condition or the state of the world in general.]

The connection between the two is often sequential. Absurdity is the recognition of meaninglessness first; angst that follows is the emotional consequence of having to create meaning ourselves. Absurdity cracks the foundation; angst is the burden to fill the crack and but not knowing if we are up for the task.

The Consequence: A Call to Create

The most profound consequence of absurdity, followed by existential angst, is not paralysis, but an urge to create meaning and purpose. When the universe offers no inherent purpose, we are left with the task — and the freedom — of crafting our own.

Why are we driven to create meaning? It is not merely a challenge for its own sake. The act of meaning-making is profoundly practical. Meaning and purpose serve as the scaffolding of daily life — they orient our actions, animate our routines, and transmute drudgery into rituals of comfort. In their presence, even the mundane could acquire dignity.

To have purpose is to know why we rise in the morning. It is to put a spring in our step. It is what turns effort into engagement, and repetition into a ritual. Purpose does not eliminate absurdity, but it offers a response and a way to live with it.

Meaning also offers resilience. In the face of suffering, uncertainty, and loss, if they were to occur (which they do), it provides a compass. It allows us to endure because we are anchored to something.

Other Gifts of Meaning

Beyond guiding action and lifting the spirit, meaning offers other gifts:

• Continuity: It threads our past, present, and future into a coherent narrative.
• Identity: It helps us define who we are, not just what we do.
• Joy: It transforms moments into memories, tasks into periods of flow.
• Agency: It reminds us that we are not passive observers, but active participants in our own lives.

Meaning is necessary for a joyful life. Without it, life becomes a series of disconnected events. With it, life becomes a story.

Human Response to Absurdity

And thus, absurdity is not a flaw but a feature of the human condition. In response to dissonance, humanity has devised several ways to cope, one being the act of creating meaning and purpose through our own efforts. But this is only one pathway. It would be instructive to explore the other responses humanity has fashioned — some defiant, some consoling — as we continue our inquiry into how we live with the absurd. That exploration begins next.

Ciao, and thanks for reading.

Impermanence

Moments of clarity,
of being briefly aligned;
effervescent bubbles
in a glass of Dom Pérignon—

both transcendental,
both impermanent.

Never Quite Here

What comes next
on the long list of doing,
while hands keep
washing greasy dishes—

that small question
quietly becomes
our life’s story.

 

Understanding Absurdity and Angst Through the Lens of  Everyday

Absurdity cracks the script of daily life; angst follows when we try to mend it. This essay explores both, in plain terms and lived examples.

I finally got promoted… and now I spend my days approving timesheets and troubleshooting printer errors. It is so absurd.

Arun Kumar

Summary: This essay discusses the notions of absurdity and existential angst in plain terms, using examples drawn from everyday happenings of life. The premise is that the ideas of absurdity and angst are not confined to ivory towers — we confront them in daily happenings of our life. Examples drawn from there clarify their loftier meanings.

Here is a familiar scenario: you are weaving through the routines of daily life, anchored in a career, fully immersed in the cut-throat office politics and pressures of work. From the outside, everything appears in order. You have what many strive for — stability, status, purpose. And yet, each morning feels less like a fresh beginning and more like a reluctant march into the Colosseum, bracing for another day of battles. Somewhere deep inside, a quiet voice whispers: Something does not add up.

In those moments, the absurdity of your situation begins to surface. You possess what others might envy, yet the feeling of fulfillment remains elusive. You have heard you are not alone in this dissonance. Names like Sartre, Camus, and Kierkegaard come to mind — thinkers who have wrestled with related questions and written extensively about the human experience of absurdity, and existential angst.

Encouraged, you search online and order well-known titles: The Myth of Sisyphus, perhaps Being and Nothingness, or Fear and Trembling. You sit down, eager to glean insight from their pages, hoping to decode your own predicament through their lens. But five pages in, your eyes glaze over. The language is dense, the concepts elusive. You try again, and again — but the clarity you seek remains out of reach.

And so, you continue on, baffled but still searching. This essay aims to bridge that gap — to explain the notions of absurdity and existential angst in plain terms, using examples drawn from the everyday moments of life. The premise is that the ideas of absurdity and angst are not confined to ivory towers — we confront them in daily happenings of our life.

Defining the Terrain: Absurdity and Angst

Let us start with some basic definitions. According to Merriam-Webster, a definition of absurdity is “having no rational or orderly relationship to human life.” Angst, meanwhile, is defined as “a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity.”

Absurdity is a visceral experience that arises when reality clashes with our expectations in ways that feel ridiculous, contradictory, or surreal. It is the moment when the script of life veers off course, and we are left blinking at the gap between what we wish it to be and what it hands to us.

Angst, by contrast, is the emotional unease that surfaces when we confront the possibility that the task that lies ahead may exceed our capacity to meet it. It is the tension of striving toward a milestone while knowing we lack the tools, time, or clarity to reach it. Imagine the recurring dream: you are rushing to catch a train for an important journey, but obstacles keep appearing — wrong turns, missing tickets, locked doors — while the clock ticks relentlessly. That is angst.

Examples of Absurdities from Everyday Life

Absurdity often announces itself in mundane moments:

• You spend an hour stuck in traffic, nervous, only arriving at a meeting that has been canceled.
• You prepare for weeks for a job interview, only to be asked questions that have nothing to do with your qualifications.
• You study a subject you love for years, only to be told the job market does not care. You are advised to “pivot” or “rebrand” yourself.
• You plan a vacation meticulously, only to spend most of it getting rained out.

In each of these instances, your urge is to mutter, This is absurd. In doing so, what you really notice is a contradiction — gap between what you expect and what reality delivers. These cracks in the wall of normalcy are where absurdity thrives.

Examples of Angst from Everyday Life

Now consider this: You wake up on a Saturday with no plans. You could read, walk, visit a museum, write in your journal. But instead of feeling liberated, you feel paralyzed. The sheer openness of the day makes you question what you should be doing. That is angst.

Or this: You have achieved a goal you worked toward for years — graduation, a promotion, retirement, publication of a research paper. But instead of feeling fulfilled, you feel… adrift. The goal is behind you, and now you are staring into the open sea of “what next?” That is angst too.

Angst is not fear of something specific; it is a diffuse unease, a sense that something is missing, but you are not sure what.

Angst is what follows when we sit with absurdity long enough. It is the emotional counterpart of realizing that meaning of your life, your existence is not given, and thus, you must make it. It is the paralysis of freedom that what we should choose that would actually turn out to be meaningful. What choices would make us get out of bed in anticipation and enthusiasm and not with a sense of dread.

Which Comes First: Absurdity or Angst?

In most cases, absurdity comes first. It is the spark. It is the moment when something does not add up. We notice the mismatch, the contradiction, a joke which is not funny. And then, if we sit with that moment long enough, an urge to find a solution comes, and if one is not readily available, then angst follows.

Absurdity says, This does not make sense. Angst responds, I want to set things straight, but I am not up for the task.

Absurdity is the crack in the wall. Angst is what we feel when we reach to mend it, only to find that the tools we have are clumsy, imprecise, too thick to fit the fracture. We want to restore coherence, but the gap resists repair. Or even if it gets repaired, cracks open over and over again.

Examples of Absurdity-Angst Pair

Graduation

Imagine a student who has spent four years immersed in study — sleepless nights, endless exams, and the emotional rollercoaster of striving toward a degree. Graduation day arrives. The ceremony is elaborate: speeches, gowns, applause. The student walks across the stage, receives the diploma, and poses for photos. It is a moment that is supposed to feel triumphant.

But later that evening, sitting alone in their apartment, the student feels strangely hollow. The question creeps in: Now what?

• The absurdity lies in the mismatch between the buildup and the lack of emotional payoff that follows. After years of effort, the graduation ceremony felt oddly theatrical, even anticlimactic. The rituals did not match the inner reality.
• The angst follows in the quiet aftermath. The student realizes that the structure that once gave life meaning — classes, deadlines, goals — is now over. They are free to choose their next path, but that freedom feels overwhelming. The future is wide open, and terrifyingly undefined, and they do not know which way to proceed.

The Retirement Send-Off

After decades of work, the day finally arrives: your retirement party. The conference room is decorated with balloons and banners. Colleagues gather, speeches are made, a cake is cut. You are praised for your dedication, your legacy, your years of service. There’s laughter, maybe a few tears, and the ceremonial handing over of a plaque or gift card. It is meant to be a celebration moment of closure and honor.

But later that evening, at home, the silence feels unfamiliar. You wake up the next morning with no meetings, no emails, no deadlines. The calendar is blank. You have gained time, but lost structure. You sit with your coffee and wonder: What now?

• The absurdity lies in the ritual of retirement itself. After years of complex, meaningful labor, the culmination is a party with finger food and polite applause. The gravity of a life’s work is compressed into a few speeches and a farewell slideshow. It feels oddly theatrical, even trivial.
• The angst arrives in the days that follow. With the scaffolding of work removed, you are left staring into the open space of retirement. Freedom is real — but so is the uncertainty. Who are you now, without the role? What will give your days shape, your efforts meaning?

The Absurdity of Human Condition

With those examples from daily life, let us move to the absurdity of human condition.

At its core, absurdity of human condition arises from a fundamental contradiction: humans yearn for meaning, coherence, and purpose in a universe that offers none by default. We seek a narrative arc for our lives — a story that makes sense, which justifies our suffering. But the world, indifferent and chaotic, rarely obliges.

Albert Camus, in The Myth of Sisyphus, describes the absurd as the confrontation between our desire for clarity and the silent, indifferent universe. Sisyphus, condemned to roll a boulder uphill only for it to roll back down, becomes a metaphor for human existence. We work, strive, love, and suffer — only to repeat the cycle again and again

The Angst That Follows

Now that we have glimpsed the absurdity of the human condition, the notions begin to sharpen. We are born, we live for a fleeting moment — barely a blink on the cosmic timescale — and then we die. Between birth and death, we perform a choreography of routines: waking, working, eating, sleeping. These motions repeat endlessly. Against the vast silence of the universe, our daily rituals, on reflection, can feel strangely theatrical, even hollow, and absurd.

In response to this dissonance, we reach for meaning to anchor ourselves. We try to stitch purpose into the fabric of our lives, to mend the tear in space-time. But meaning is not handed to us. There is no cosmic narrator offering a script. We must create it ourselves. And therein lies the catch — the emotional burden of authorship. The angst we feel arises from realization that we are responsible for defining the significance of our own existence.

We call it existential angst because it touches the very core of our existence.

And so, we arrive at the absurdity and angst pair.

• Absurdity is the recognition that life does not inherently make sense — that our yearning for coherence meets a universe that offers none.
• Angst is the emotional response to that recognition — the ache of knowing that meaning must be forged, not found, and further, the responsibility is squarely on our shoulders.

Together, they form signature duo of human life. Absurdity cracks the surface of our assumptions, angst seeps in through the fracture. One reveals the void; the other compels us to fill it.

Ciao, and thanks for reading.