A Kafkaesque Kerfuffle

Are you an existentialist?

Who’s Your Existential Daddy?

Kafka…that’s Franz Kafka to you, baby! Meet the man, the myth, the legend who authored one of the most famous novellas in the world at the age of 29 titled “The Metamorphosis”. And guess what? It almost never saw the light of day because he felt his work of genius was junk. Thank God for great friends because if it weren’t for his BFF Max Brod who rummaged through Kafka’s notebooks, perhaps you and I wouldn’t be asking ourselves, am I willing to accept the weight of my freedom? Let’s dive in my dear brainiacs, shall we?  

Confrontation With The Absurd 

Meet Gregor … the hunky protagonist. DARK, HARD & DIRTY. Don’t get too excited you naughty little bedside reader! Gregor is a rodent.  The storyline goes a little something like this…Gregor is a human who wakes up one day to find he’s transformed into a vermin. Although he has supported his family most of his adult life, his parents and sister spiral into a selfish fit and become primarily pre-occupied with how this nightmarish situation will affect them. When he’s no longer useful to them, they trash him … literally. The cleaning lady is summoned to scoop him up and throw him in a garbage can. And you thought you had family probs!

The Kerfuffle 

What happens, when like Gregor, we wait for help? Or hope that others will act on our behalf? And will waiting too long to be rescued cost us our lives? Kafka presents a character who caused permanent damage to his own life by failing to exercise his free will. It turns out the Father of Existentialism wrote up the most anti-existential character. Gregor “lay[s] quietly” waiting for other people to change the trajectory of his life. He wants help but he is unwilling to ask for it. He is constantly waiting in “complete stillness”. And nothing good every comes of it. No one saves him. No one protects him. And no one pities him. Poor little pest! The exercise of free will is lost on Gregor. So what now? 

Unhindered Self-Examination

Are you ready for the big question? Here it is … how can we live a more existential life? And if a man in 1916 had the same exact questions we have in 2024, has much about the human condition really changed at all?  

The story of Gregor, human turned rodent, reminds us that the “system” is riddled with corruption and doesn’t care about any one individual. That’s right … the corporation you work for or even that small boutique business doesn’t give a rat’s a** about you. Yet, we show up and churn away at our own expense.

We have an unyielding desire for answers. And even though we know there may be no answer, WE TRY ANYWAY! What does that say about us? That we wish to struggle? That trying to resolve the unresolvable is innately a part of who we are?  

Are You An Existentialist?  

Time for a test! Get your pencils out! To Kafka or not to Kafka…ARE YOU AN EXISTENTIALIST? Yes or No?  

1)    Do you believe life is centered around free will, choice and responsibility?

2)    Do you believe in taking action (changing yourself, improving, etc)?

3)    Do you avoid blaming the outcome of your life on external sources (such as society, family, nature)? 

My friend, if you answered YES, YES & YES …. You are officially an existentialist with a big E. Which means that popular sayings like “it is what it is” and “it’s not meant to be” don’t jive with you. You’re in the driver’s seat and you acknowledge that going with the so-called flow is a choice. You align with the belief system that every person creates their own purpose and that our lives can have meaning if we choose to assign meaning to it. You won’t be the type of person blaming your family for your financial failures or criticizing your big-boned ancestors for an unhealthy weight gain!  

Can Existentialists Believe in God Too?  

Yes! You can be in both camps! They are not mutually exclusive. You can be an existentialist and still believe in God. Existentialists advocate that you can believe in God but God’s purpose is not to come up with YOUR purpose. Any meaning your life has is set by YOU and only you.  

Is it time to accept the weight of your freedom? If we all accepted that we are 100% individually in charge of our own lives, wouldn’t we be functioning at our highest level as a society? Should we continue searching for meaning in a meaningless universe or do we accept the absurdism of life and move on?  

Now that I’ve sent you into a philosophical tizzy, drop me a comment and let’s Kafka together!