Mister Moyer Dispatch
Accept the Absurdity
*Warning, this is all free flow writing. I have no plan, no beginning, middle or end.*
I recently finished reading "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck. It took me two attempts to get through it. The first time, about two years ago, I made it only 40 pages in before setting it aside—the words just didn't grab me. But this time, the story seized me by the throat, and I devoured the classic American novel in just two weeks. When I turned the last page, I was left feeling empty. The characters had become a part of my nightly routine. Much like after reading the Ramayana, I felt sad, lonely, and a profound void.
Yet, amidst that emptiness, I caught the reading bug. I craved more words—words woven together in such a way that they could transport me to another world. I wanted to escape my current life and become enveloped in joy, pain, sunshine, and rain. Yes, I just did that. You’re welcome.
I used to escape into films and dreamed of becoming a film director. Now, I can barely sit through a movie unless it's an A24 production. Fiction has become my new addiction. As I pondered my next literary adventure, I was likely listening to The Cure. This took me back to reading "The Stranger" by Albert Camus about twenty years ago. I remember the writing being so vivid, and it struck me that The Cure even wrote a song inspired by the book—a song that was banned and vanished for a while, only to slowly resurface.
At that time, I was trapped in a deep, dark depression, feeling utterly helpless. I had no idea how to escape my situation, or even why I should try. Dark thoughts swirled in my mind, and I felt like I was drowning without a lifeline in sight.
I really enjoy research—I love diving down rabbit holes and exploring the weird, random facets of life, true or not. It's fascinating how everything connects and how you can stumble upon a YouTube video at the exact moment you need it. That’s exactly what happened to me. I found a video about Camus that completely shifted my mindset. Life suddenly made sense, or rather, the absurd, meaningless point of life made sense. We will never have the answer to “What is the point of life?” There is no answer. It’s subjective. If you want to know how to build an airplane from a Tesla or fix your washing machine, you can find that answer on the internet. But the most basic question, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE???? remains unanswered.
Religions have been set up to pretend they have the answers. But they don’t.
When my father was on his deathbed in the ICU, just skin and bones with all the light gone from his eyes, I asked him that question. Here was a man who had lived a pretty good life, who was on death’s door, who was my father—a man who had never really been there to support me or give me life advice. If anyone could give me a straight answer to this question, it had to be this man who was about to die. His last words to me would surely reveal the secret to life as he pondered his last breath.
He looked at me with his slowly fading eyes and said, “There is no point.”
He died forty-five minutes later.
CAMUS. Let's get back to the man of the hour—the man who saved my life. I’m going to summarize what I took away from the video I watched, and then I’ll share it with you. Hopefully, it will have the same profound impact on you as it did on me.
Life is meaningless. There is no point. It’s totally absurd.
So why not rebel against that absurdity? Be the most unique version of yourself. Create your own meaning.
If you have to live like Sisyphus—endlessly rolling that boulder uphill by going to work every day, paying bills, commuting, eating lunch at your desk, commuting again, sleeping, and repeating—why not inject some fun into it? Poke life in the eye. Yes, the struggles are real, and many people are facing them right now. But find your own rebellion, that spark of joy. Eat lunch in a panda bear costume. Listen to podcasts about inspiring lives during your commute. Draw hearts on your checks when you pay bills—if anyone even writes checks anymore! Maybe it’s as simple as reading to your kids at bedtime. Make it magical—create voices, add twists to the story, find joy in those moments, and escape the absurdity.
CREATE YOUR OWN MEANING!
After watching the video, it took a couple of days for the message to fully sink in. I dived into countless Camus rabbit holes and felt the inspiration flood back. The idea of rebelling against meaninglessness resonated deeply. That's the old skate punk kid in me—hungry for attention and craving rebellion. A friend and I are putting together a pop-up gallery show in Madison this August, and I felt a surge of creativity. I came up with five painting ideas. They’ll be absurd and weird, and maybe some people will hate them, but if I can make even one person laugh, it will all be worth it.
I have “The Plague” by Albert Camus on hold at the library.
Love & Light.
MM
EYE HOLE: This link is a bit wonky. If it doens’t work, send me a message and I can get you one that works.
EAR HOLE:
LOVE THIS