Sartre wasn’t kidding around
with his idea of Nausea
And his vision of Hell
must certainly be
close
to the reality
of the place
But I don’t buy
his argument that
this life is
ultimately meaningless
Was he saying that
the beauty, courage
and hope
that obviously exists in us
springs from
vacant and meaningless
hearts?
I don’t remember
seeing roses
grow naturally
in the brutal heat
of the
Mojave
Sartre, however,
did not waver
And it seems that
while
the French have created
a gorgeous culture
French philosophers have
unashamedly proclaimed
that there is no
reason to
enjoy
it
*This poem originally appeared on KGP on 6 Mar 06.
5 responses ↓
1 ec | 14 Aug 2006
Nice work, RB.
Not only do beauty, courage, and hope not spring from vacant meaninglessness—monstrosities, fear, and despair don’t, either. Visions of heaven or hell are equally illegitimate in a world devoid of purpose. In such a world, all would be ‘whatever.’
Interesting that no one is capable of thinking that way.
2 Brian Clark | 14 Aug 2006
Ultimately, Sartre admitted that he never felt a day of true despair in his life.
French Existentialism might be better characterized as taking control of one’s own destiny by recognizing the true realities of the human condition, which ends up being a liberating and joyful experience if viewed with the proper frame of (or lack of) mind.
Or in other words, they took Buddhism and added great wine and cheese. :)
3 Robert Bruce | 14 Aug 2006
I love it when the big dogs come out to play…
Tired… going… back tomorrow with some thoughts.
4 got a shot of inner fuel! » Blog Archive » the Politics of Myspace | 15 Aug 2006
[...] Scrivs is right and the cut-up is deceiving–I’m an optimistic guy. I’ve been helped out with artwork (among many others) and have met very cool people. Something about this though sticks with me…esp. as I attempt to get a deeper sense of the story…Mr. Bruce has a nice little poem this week. [...]
5 theokosmos » KnifeGunPen Bullseye | 16 Aug 2006
[...] Robert Bruce nailed it with this one: [...]
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