I want life to make sense. But the universe is indifferent to my existence. I want purpose. I want reasons. But the universe doesn't care. It just exists. With or without my questions. French philosopher and writer Albert Camus thought I will never live if I continue looking for the meaning of life. He observed I can only truly live by accepting the harsh truth: all life is absurd.

He explains, "The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world. This must not be forgotten. This must be clung to because the whole consequence of a life can depend on it. The irrational, the human nostalgia, and the absurd that is born of their encounter, these are the three characters in the drama that must necessarily end with all the logic of which an existence is capable."

Camus didn't stop there, though.

He thought making peace with meaninglessness was the first step to solving my own meaning. "The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth," he said. Camus says that recognizing the absurd doesn't mean we should give up. It's the opposite. It's only by acknowledging the meaninglessness of existence that we can indeed be free to just be. "Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world," he wrote.

Camus says we have three choices once we accept the first truth that life is absurd. We can give in to despair, look to religion or some other belief system that promises meaning or rebel. Camus rejects giving in to despair. He sees it as a cop-out. He is also sceptical of religion. He thinks it's an attempt to escape the absurd. So, what's left? "Rebel." "What is a rebel? A man who says no," says Camus. No to despair. No to apathy. No to giving up. Accept the meaninglessness as a gift and live your life anyway.

"I rebel; therefore I exist," notes Camus.

He illustrated his ideas with a myth. He used the story of Sisyphus, a figure from Greek mythology. Sisyphus was condemned to push a boulder up a hill forever. Once he reached the top, the boulder rolled back down. He had to start again. It was an endless, pointless task. Camus saw Sisyphus as a symbol of human life. We work, struggle, and repeat the cycle until we die.

What does it all mean?

Maybe nothing.

But Camus didn't think Sisyphus should give up. He must make peace with his fate. "I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain. One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy" writes Camus. Sisyphus owns his struggle. He accepts the absurdity. And still pushes his rock.

Camus sees Sisyphus as an absurd hero.

"His fate belongs to him. His rock is his thing," he wrote. You and I have our own rocks to push. Maybe it's work. Or grief. Or just the hustle of daily life. Camus is telling us to face it head-on. He imagines Sisyphus finding meaning in the struggle. He sees him defying the gods by finding meaning in a meaningless task. That's what Camus wants us to do. He wants us to find joy even in the ordinary. Camus didn't just just talk about the absurd as a theory.

He shows it in his novels and plays.

Take The Stranger, for example. The main character, Meursault, is detached from the world. He doesn't seem to feel emotions the way other people do. He's like an outsider, adrift in a world that doesn't make sense to him. Or look at The Plague. It's a story about a town ravaged by disease. People are dying left and right. There's no explanation. No reason. Just random suffering. It's a powerful metaphor for the absurd.

But even in these dark stories, he talks of hope.

"I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying). I therefore conclude that the meaning of life is the most urgent of questions." — Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus

Camus shows us characters in his books who find ways to cope with the absurd. They find meaning in human connection. They find purpose in fighting for a better life. And that's what I find so inspiring about Camus. He doesn't teach easy answers to life's biggest question of meaning. But he shows absurdity is not a reason to be depressed but to live to the point of tears. You are not just passive victims of fate. You have the power to make life matter. You can give in to despair.

Or you can make peace with an indifferent life.

You can choose kindness over indifference. Pursue what makes you come alive. Build meaningful relationships. These are all ways of defying the absurd. "Find meaning or don't find meaning but 'steal' some time and give it freely and exclusively to your own self ", he wrote. Find your inner rebellion against meaninglessness. Refuse to give in to despair. Say "yes" to life even though it doesn't make sense. You're an actor in a play you didn't write.

You don't know how it ends.

But you're on stage. You have to act. You have to make choices. Camus wants you to play it with everything you've got. He wants you to make the most of your time on stage, even though you don't know what's going to happen next. Camus rejected despair. Especially when things get tough. Or when we feel lost and alone. Find your "invisible summer" to survive anything. "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger — something better, pushing right back" he said.

Did Camus solve the meaning of life?

Maybe not in a traditional sense.

Maybe, but not in the way you'd expect. Camus gave us a mindset — a way to approach life's big questions. His philosophy of absurdism didn't figure out everything for us. But it gives us tools to live despite our indifferent world. Camus may not have solved the meaning of life. But he gave us the tools to figure out our own meaning. He gave us the courage to face the absurd. To live without holding back. He showed us how to find meaning in a meaningless world. And that's a pretty valuable gift.

The practical takeaway?

Stop waiting for life to make sense. It won't. Accept that life is strange and without a clear purpose. Then make your own meaning. Create. Love. Work. Play. Do what makes you feel alive. That's how you "solve"the meaning of life — by living it. If you want to find meaning in work, do that. If you find meaning in helping others, great. If you enjoy the gift of everyday life, that's meaningful too. The literal meaning of life is whatever you're doing that makes you say yes to life. Or whatever you do that stops you from giving up on yourself.

Camus put it perfectly: "Living is keeping the absurd alive." We laugh, we create, we love. Those experiences are real. The absurd is not something to fix. It's something to face. Life is absurd, but it's also ours. It's your rock, your struggle, your choice.

What will you do with it?