The Absurd World Podcast

We all have titles, roles, identities, and labels we want to be known by. We want to be seen in certain ways, recognized as certain kinds of people, and understood in a way that reflects how we see ourselves. But do others always see us for who we feel we truly are? Do they even want to? And perhaps more frighteningly, do we need others to recognize us as we are in order to truly become who we believe ourselves to be?In this weeks episode, the third in our series exploring the works of Franz Kafka, we dive into what it means to exist as something in the eyes of others. We ask whether having an identity is enough, or whether we need that identity to be recognized and accepted by the people around us for it to have any meaning in our lives. Along the way, we explore the role society plays in determining who we are allowed to be, and whether we can ever truly live the lives we choose for ourselves when others refuse to see us as we see ourselves.And knowing Kafka... this one is going to be heartbreaking...

Many of us go through life believing that, at least to some degree, we are relatively safe from the dangers of the world. That no one is out to get us. That if something goes wrong, there are people and systems in place that will have our backs.But what if that is not always true? What if, when things really go wrong, we are entirely alone in this world, left to fend for ourselves?In this episode, the second in our series exploring the works of Franz Kafka, we dive into the horror of becoming the target of the very systems we were told existed to protect us. A kind of horror that may be lurking just beneath the surface of everyday life for far more of us than we would like to believe.As we examine legal systems, government, our workplaces, insurance companies, and all the other institutions we depend on and try to place our faith in, we begin to ask a rather unsettling question: what happens when these systems simply do not care about us as much as we wish they did?And perhaps even more frighteningly, what do we do when we become the next target?

It’s Halloween everyone!And you know what that means...A Halloween special episode!!!This October, we are taking a look at what it means to create stories of horror, from the myths and legends to the folklore that so many of them are built upon. From the stories of the Americas designed to warn us against threats from all around and within, to the stories meant to change the way we understand nature, and all the way to the expression of the horrors of war, violence, and oppression, the scary stories we tell have often held a much deeper meaning than just ghosts and ghouls.Join me as we explore why humans have always told stories about the things that terrify us, and what those stories might reveal about the world we live in, the things we fear, and ourselves.Because sometimes, the monsters in our stories are not really monsters at all... And sometimes, they’re worse.

If you were no longer able to work, do chores, support your friends and family, take care of others, or contribute to the world in some meaningful way... would you still be human?Or would you be as useless as a bug?This is the question we explore this week in the first episode of a series on the works and philosophy of the master of the absurd himself, German speaking Jewish writer Franz Kafka.As we begin this series, we take a hard look at what it means to be useful, to contribute to society, and to provide something of value to the people around us. Is this really how we should measure our worth as human beings? And what happens when we can no longer fulfill the roles expected of us?Along the way, we may discover that our own ideas about our worth are not the only ones that matter. Sometimes, the people around us have very different ideas about what makes us valuable... and whether we are worth anything at all.

We wake up every morning. We go to work, attend school, take care of the household, and follow the routines we believe we need to maintain just to exist in this world. We try to make friends, build relationships, and find ways to add something meaningful to our lives.These are the steps we are taught to follow to live a “normal” life, to be productive, and to be healthy. But what happens when we struggle to follow them? What if these routines do not fit us? What if they were never meant for us, or perhaps we were never meant for them?In this weeks episode, we dive into the unsettling question of what it means to feel as though we were never made for the world we inhabit. What if the way society is structured simply does not fit the way we experience existence? With the guidance of French Algerian philosopher and writer Albert Camus, we explore what it really means to belong in this world, whether anyone truly does, and whether we are all just pretending that we do.Perhaps the question is not whether we fit into the world, but whether we can recognize our place within its absurdity without pretending it makes sense.

If there is one question that comes up time and time again among those hesitant or concerned about the school of thought called existentialism, it is the fear that this way of thinking and living could lead to something terrible for those who embrace it: selfishness.But is it really so easy to fall down a selfish rabbit hole? And does being selfish necessarily mean that we are aware of what we are doing?In this weeks episode, we explore what it means to be selfish and just how complex the concept really is. Using a piece of religious and philosophical literature as a guide, we turn to Japanese author Shūsaku Endō for some tortured guidance as we dig into the complicated relationship between our actions, our intentions, and the stories we tell ourselves about them.We may discover that our actions can hide behind our intentions, and that even our intentions can hide behind something far more powerful...Fantasy.

How much control do we really have over ourselves and our inner worlds?Sure, we can choose to take one action or another physically, but do we really control the things that drive those actions?Do we actually have control over the internal reactions we call emotions?In this weeks episode, we explore what it means to have a healthier relationship with our emotions and, in turn, feel more in control of our lives. With the help of existential therapist Viktor Frankl and Vietnamese Buddhist monk and prolific author Thich Nhat Hanh, we explore the ideas, theories, and practices behind emotional regulation.We may discover that we do not need to be overwhelmed by our emotions or try to silence them. Instead, perhaps we should treat our emotions like a crying infant, meeting them with acknowledgement, understanding, patience, love, and peace.

Are you alone?Am I?Are we all?And is loneliness a fundamental part of being alive? Something forced upon us? Something we choose? Or something far more personal?In this weeks episode, we dig into the experience of true loneliness: where it comes from, why it occurs, and what, if anything, we can do about it. With a jam packed exploration of the works of French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Japanese novelist Osamu Dazai, we examine how much control we really have over our loneliness and how much responsibility we have to understand where it comes from.We may discover that loneliness does not always originate in the world outside of us, but within ourselves, and that finding our place in a society we desperately want to belong to may require us to look inward first.

Are philosophers good people?Do they actually live the kinds of lives they tell the rest of us to aspire to?Or are they all talk and no action?In this weeks episode, we take a hard look at the lives of some of our favorite philosophers and the ways they sometimes seemed to completely contradict their own teachings. With thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault, and Albert Camus on the chopping block, we ask whether we can still trust their ideas after discovering the flaws, contradictions, and troubling choices in the lives they lived.With the gentle but clear guidance of American thinker and writer bell hooks, we confront a difficult question: what do we do when someone whose ideas have changed us turns out to be deeply flawed in ways that challenge everything we thought we knew about them?Perhaps the person who gives us a powerful idea does not have to be the person we want to become.

Do you like eating meat?Is it delicious in every possible way?Does it remind you of good times with family, friends, or traveling?Same.So why am I vegan? And why am I asking whether you should be?In this weeks episode, I step away from the usual ethical and moral arguments surrounding veganism and animal consumption. Instead, we use the question of whether we should be vegan as a way to explore something much more personal: who we are, what we believe, and what happens when our choices force us to confront our own values.With the help of thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Peter Singer, we explore how a seemingly simple question like "Should I be vegan?" can become an opportunity for genuine self examination, regardless of where we ultimately land.