Quotable Quickie: Between Hell and Reason, “The World Is What It Is”

Before the terrifying prospects now available to humanity, we see even more clearly that peace is the only goal worth struggling for. This is no longer a prayer but a demand to be made by all peoples to their governments — a demand to choose definitively between hell and reason.

– Albert Camus (1913-1960)

From the rock star of Existentialism (although he would have been loathe to put himself anywhere near Sartre’s camp) – his words in response to the WWII bombing of Hiroshima. I thought of his essay – “The World is What it is,” which you can read here – in light of the attacks in Paris on Friday. In times of great crisis, one of my areas of solace is Camus. Blog, pray for Paris, praise life, add a filter to your profile photo, do whatever you need to do to console yourself because these actions do have merit. And then tomorrow – no more of this hatred, this bigotry, this senselessness – we must work toward peace.

[Thank you for joining us in the fourth third edition of the Quotable Quickie: Existentialism series for NaBloPoMo 2015. Vive la France!]