Albert Camus was a French-Algerian author and philosopher of the 20th century

and one of the most thought-provoking thinkers. He mainly wrote novels, the most notable being:

The Stranger, The Plague, The Myth of Sisyphus, The Fall, and The Rebel. He even received

the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957! His philosophy is considered as being part of “the

philosophy of the absurd” or “absurdism”, which states that human beings exist in a purposeless,

chaotic universe, and which he explored in many of his novels.

The main theory of Camus is to embrace the absurdity of life as a simple fact,

without falling into despair. This ability to embrace absurdity means to be free.

According to Camus, there are 2 types of freedom: Common Freedom, defined as the

ability to choose between different options - for example, whether to take a glass of water

from the table or not - and Absurd Freedom, the ability to live a life without meaning. For Camus,

Absurd Freedom is true freedom. In a world without meaning, individuals can discover

that they can do whatever they want, while still taking full responsibility for their actions.

Without any legitimate pressure from other people, society and so on,

we can learn to only follow our inner motivations and personal values. Reaffirming this power

coming from such an inner freedom, we as individuals thus create our own meaning of life.

So to help you understand how to be more free,

we bring you 7 life lessons from the philosophy of Albert Camus:

Believe in freedom

Camus said: “Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences - all this

presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't feel it.”

For Camus, freedom is very much linked to his concept of absurdity;

the realization that life has no meaning and it is pointless to search for one.

Once someone learns how to face the absurd, they become free from illusions and false beliefs.

If we are not willing to recognize the absurdity of this life, that the universe

has no meaning other than the one we give to it, we cannot be free as our mind will be closed,

not able to open itself up to the true reality of this life, and to new possibilities.

For example, imagine that you were a professional sprinter, you had a serious accident and now you

are in a wheelchair. You could believe that your life no longer has any meaning now you can’t

run, but the truth is it never had meaning beyond the meaning you gave to it. So now that the old

meaning is not relevant anymore, it just means you are free to create a new meaning, perhaps taking

up a wheelchair-friendly sport, writing about your experiences, coaching the next generation,

or anything else that provides you joy, even if it’s outside the world of athletics.

Becoming more proactively engaged with your own life, creating goals and making solid plans for

the future creates meaning. But in order to achieve this we need to believe in freedom.

We should stop thinking of ourselves as victims, that we are such and such because of genetics,

our financial situation, the quality of our education, the way our family raised us,

the country we live in, or because of the people who hurt us along the way, and so

on. Even if you cannot change much regarding your circumstances through any of your actions,

you can still find a sort of mental freedom, in imagining a better future for yourself.

For example, if you live in a poor neighborhood,

it would not serve you well to focus on blaming the government for not helping more,

or that you were unlucky enough to be born there. That is not to say that these things

may not be true - of course you can - and should - acknowledge these facts if that’s the case,

but to really improve your mental state at least, you should see yourself as a free

person. After seeing yourself as someone who is free to make the most of their situation,

you can then choose to act upon it, maybe you can get involved in improving the living conditions

of your neighborhood or create a support group with others in your area in the same situation.

It won’t always be possible to act in the direction of your desires, but having the

right mindset, seeing yourself as capable of anything, can improve your happiness immensely.

No matter how small the steps you take, just perceiving yourself as a free person,

believing in your own freedom, can really help when facing the absurdity of life.

Fight for freedom

According to Camus: “Freedom is not a gift received from the State or leader,

but a possession to be won every day by the effort of each and the union of all.”

For Camus, freedom is not a privilege that you receive from the government or other authority,

it is a state of being, a right that you need to fight for every day. It is not enough to believe

you are free, to see yourself as a free person; you need to be proactive and fight for freedom.

We need to learn to voice our opinions and to help other people voice theirs. Nowadays,

there are still a big number of countries where expressing your honest opinion

can put you in prison or even to death. In these countries authoritarianism rules,

and Camus considered that there is nothing worse than authoritarianism.

During his life, after the Second World War, Camus saw how communism was spreading across

Eastern Europe, as a countermeasure to capitalism. Communism, also called revolutionary socialism,

was promising freedom for all and attracted many French intellectuals,

but Camus saw how faulty its method was, that it was suppressing opposing views,

offering nothing but empty promises of freedom for all in the future.

Camus believed the theory that “the ends justify the means'' is extremely dangerous, because if

true, then this legitimises murder or abusing people on your way to achieving your goals.

For example, if we want to have a secure society, to limit the freedom of speech is not a solution

as this freedom must be a protected right for any of us. Following this logic, we should not

block anyone from expressing controversial beliefs, even if we fear they might form

potentially dangerous political coalitions in the future. We need to protect freedom of thought,

freedom of speech and by extension freedom of the press by any means.

However, an unchecked freedom of the press can be a double-edged sword.

With the emergence of the internet the world has become much more complex.

The speed at which news is being created, consumed and shared is orders of magnitude

greater than compared to Camus’ times. The result is it often becomes difficult, if not impossible,

to separate legitimate fact from biased opinion and misinformation. Fact-checking and even a

certain degree of censorship might be needed on social platforms to help with this separation.

Nevertheless, what we can take from Camus today is that society needs a healthy press, which nowadays

includes social media platforms unfearful of telling the truth while displaying the views

and opinions of people from all walks of life, yet still protecting users from fake news and abuse.

A free and healthy press can help us defeat any type of totalitarianism and help us maintain

a free society. And without a free society, nothing can guarantee the freedom of individuals.

No matter our place in society, we can learn to better voice our opinions and help other people

voice theirs. For example, if you are a factory worker for a big corporation,

you should try to make your opinions heard, no matter if they are against the company’s policy.

For example, if the wage you get is not enough to cover your basic needs in life

or if you are not allowed to take enough breaks during the working day, you need to unite with

other people in the same situation, form a union and voice your complaints to the management of

the company or even to mass media. No matter the form in which authority presents itself,

be it a government or a big corporation, we need to fight for our rights and for the right

to express our opinions and complaints. A free society cannot exist without the contribution of

all of us, fighting for freedom and for our human rights to voice our complaints.

03. Be creative

Camus tells us: “Without freedom, no art; art lives only on the restraints it imposes on itself,

and dies of all others.”

For Camus, art was of immense value and he believed that art should be completely free,

creatively. Art cannot help people achieve happiness if it is not absolutely free,

allowing the individual to express their unconstrained feelings and thoughts through it.

A true work of art not only increases the freedom of the one who creates it, but also increases the

inner freedom of the ones who observe it, opening up their minds and feelings. Moreover, Camus

considered that without freedom, art, one of the major components of happiness for human beings,

cannot exist, and that is why freedom is so important in one’s life.

Thus, to be more free, a good habit to adopt is to be creators or consumers of more art. For example,

you can pick up a paper and pencil or buy some art supplies and start drawing something you see

or imagine, or maybe express yourself through music, whether that’s as involved as learning

an instrument and joining a band, or simply singing your heart out in the car on the

way to work or in the shower. Not for you? Maybe you basically live online?

If so, there’s so much you can do creatively with digital technology today! From photo-editing to

music production, making videos and animations to making video games and designing 3D models.

If none of that resonates, you could just start decorating your home in a way that gives you

an increased sense of happiness. But as we said before, you don’t have to be the creator of art

to benefit from it - consuming the art of others is just as important,

whether for you that means going to galleries and exhibitions, gigs, theaters and yes, even watching

TV & movies, practicing or consuming art can open you up, making you feel more creative and free.

04. Act rebellious

In the words of Camus: “The only way to deal with an unfree world

is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

In the book “The Myth of Sisyphus”, Camus described the daily routines of many people in

the modern day; from waking up and going to work to spending four hours in the office or factory,

then having lunch, another four hours of work, then coming home, having dinner,

then sleep. Many people follow such routines without even questioning them.

However, once in a while, they wake up and feel a sense of isolation from other people,

of disconnection, they realize that they are wasting their life

and the only thing waiting for them at the end is death. At such moments, they can experience

strong feelings of anxiety. Those are the moments when they see the absurdity of life, and the best

way to face the absurdity of life is to revolt against it, to try to improve the human condition.

According to Camus, we must fight against the absurdity of life,

against unfairness and against this apparent lack of meaning by creating our own meaning of

life. Only in this way can we achieve happiness and avoid committing suicide, which, according

to Camus, is the biggest philosophical problem. In the absence of a given meaning of our life,

we should strive to find happiness in our own way, to learn to live life with more passion.

Passion is the way in which we can rebel against the rigidity of our lives.

To live life with passion meant for Camus to enjoy sports, going on dates,

writing literature and any other simple pleasures outside of his work. For other people it can mean

traveling during the holidays, hiking during the weekends, starting a hobby in the evening,

or listening to a favorite podcast on the way to work. However, besides these activities which are

small acts of rebellion against the rigidity of life, there are more effective ways to become

freer and rebel in a more impactful way. This can be starting a new career or business in which we

do more of what we really enjoy doing and for which we have more freedom in deciding how much,

where and when to work. The more we rebel against the conventional ways of working - or

living in general - the less rigid our life will be and the more freedom we will have.

05. Be free but lawful

Camus wrote: “Absolute freedom mocks at justice. Absolute justice denies freedom.”

For Camus, freedom is a necessary condition for individuals to create a meaning for their lives.

However, Camus was not an anarchist, someone who is for a society without a governing body, without

authorities, or a libertarian, someone who is for a minimal state that intervenes very little in the

free market and in the private lives of citizens. For individuals to be free, the society in which

the individuals live must be free as well, and to assure a free society, we need justice to

create a fair environment in which everybody has the opportunity to be equally free and to find

life’s meaning by themselves. Thus, there is a fine line between freedom and justice and we

need to find an equilibrium point so that we don’t have too much of one at the expense of the other.

In his essay “Reflections on the Guillotine”, Camus expressed his view on the death penalty.

He was very much against the idea of the state having the right over the life and

death of an individual, so he fought for the abolishment of the death penalty.

Camus recognized the death penalty as a form of revenge

and, he believed that instead of preventing more violence, the death penalty creates more violence.

At the opposite extreme, it can be the case that when people have too much un-checked freedom,

some of them can gather to form political coalitions based on removing that freedom,

which can become so strong that it changes the law of the country,

resulting in a less free, potentially even non-democratic society. Thus,

we need to make sure that the laws which assure a fair democratic society are never

canceled. One example is preserving the right for everyone to vote in leadership elections.

At a smaller community level we should fight for preserving the rule of law,

of equal rights for everyone, but we also need to let individuals express themselves. For example,

if you are a teacher, you should make the students listen to you, follow the school rules and behave

in a civilized manner, but you should also give them the opportunity to voice their opinions,

to express their personality as long as they do not disturb the school environment in doing so.

Similarly, we as contributors to our society should always strive to

maintain equilibrium between freedom and justice.

06. Acknowledge the negative sides of your freedom

To quote Camus: “We are always free at the expense of someone else.

It is a bother, but it is normal.”

Camus very much glorified the concept of freedom, however he could see its negative sides as well.

He considered that the freedom of one individual might clash with the freedom of other individuals.

There will always be conflicting interests. That is why, as society advances in becoming more

liberal, the more rules we need to draw the line between the freedoms of different individuals.

Camus was not for an absolute freedom, but for a freedom that is balanced with a spirit

of justice between different people. For Camus, freedom is not going for what we want without

considering others, it is going for what we want while respecting the freedom of other people.

Moreover, he could see that someone who really cares about others,

who is more empathetic, does not need societal rules to keep his or her integrity intact. But,

as not everybody is an empath and because it is often far more complicated than how

a single action affects a single person, it is necessary to have clear rules of conduct,

to assure a balance between the freedom of different individuals. Nonetheless,

it is still recommended to increase awareness and empathy between people as much as possible,

to balance different interests and views before relying on the rule of law to provide guidance.

It is said that none of us should have the freedom to be unequal, meaning that we should not demand

a freedom that makes us superior to others. For example, you do have the freedom to do what you

want in your house, like throwing a big party and setting the music volume to maximum. But, in this

way, you will disturb your neighbors who also have the right to enjoy whatever level of noise they

want to experience in their house. Although you might not be doing anything technically illegal,

you should still be sensitive to others, trying to take into account the people around you. Ofcourse,

you can still play the music, but maybe you should try to lower the volume during sleeping hours.

Freedom has negative sides and that is why you should not abuse your personal freedom.

Another example would be to imagine that you were born in a certain culture or religion which

demands you follow a strict dress code, but at your workplace you are required to wear a uniform.

Thus, your freedom to wear what you wish clashes with the rules of your workplace.

The best way to solve this conflict is if both parties make some concessions. Perhaps you adopt

the uniform, but only if the company allows you to add an accessory which represents your identity.

However, if the company demands you respect their dress code in favor of the dress code

of your religious beliefs, you will inevitably grow resentment and may even leave that company.

On the other extreme, if the company gives absolute freedom to everyone to

wear whatever they like, the brand could suffer, affecting the overall success of the company.

In every life situation, we should strive to reach a balance between our personal

interests and the interests of others and the community we are part of.

We do not live in isolation and the freedom of everyone around us is as important as our own.

07. Use your freedom to improve yourself

In our final quote from Albert Camus for this video,

he says: “Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”

What Camus understood by freedom was mainly Absurd Freedom, the kind of freedom born from facing the

absurdity of life. Camus described three ways through which one can solve the conflict between

life’s lack of meaning and his or her desire to find one: The first is physical suicide - you kill

yourself because you conclude that your life is worthless, but there is no real logic in killing

yourself if the universe itself is meaningless. The second is philosophical suicide - through

religion or other forms of faith, you abandon reason and this prevents you from experiencing

life in an authentic way. Finally, one can simply accept the absurdity of life and deal with it.

By learning how to deal with this conflict, you will experience Absurd Freedom. Once you discover

that the universe has no meaning, you will become free to give it any meaning you want. You are free

to set any goal you feel you can accomplish. You can start to free yourself from things or people

who don’t really have a place in your life. You gain more control - you set new rules.

You rethink all the benefits you previously had - you question if they are useful or not.

You question your relationships and life plans, and if you don’t find them useful

in reaching your goals and dreams, you are free to drop them and make new ones.

For example, imagine you’re going through a difficult period of your life, you lose your job

and find yourself living at your friend’s house. Seeing how difficult and unfair this life can be,

you start to question what the meaning of all of these difficulties is. Why do some people have it

all and some nothing? You might then become aware of how meaningless everything is, and that all

that matters is your mindset. That is to say the meaning you create for yourself. Looking inside

yourself you can find a new type of freedom in which lies the power to change your life.

Going back to our example, you can consider this period of your life as a test to prove

you are capable of surviving, of starting life over again on a new path. See it as

an opportunity to develop new skills and that you will come up stronger than ever before after this.

You can convince yourself that everything will get better, by adjusting the way you see the

situation, by giving it a new meaning. You can even consider yourself luckier than others because

you had this opportunity to face such a challenge and learn and grow from it - and they didn’t.

Such freedom to create personal meanings can lead to personal growth - to transform

yourself into the person you need to become to overcome those challenges and, ultimately,

into the person you wish to become. These changes do not happen overnight - they come step by step,

and this is fine. Freedom is - and will always be - a journey of continuous self-improvement.

If you enjoyed this video, please make sure to check out our full philosophies for life playlist

and for more videos to help you find success and happiness using ancient philosophical wisdom,

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