Albert Camus’ 4 Principles for Being Present
Being the second youngest person to ever win the Nobel Prize in Literature, there was no doubting Albert Camus’ brilliance as a philosopher. And out of all the existentialists who formed their own idea on how to live, it’s easy to see how Camus’ approach on life allowed him to enjoy the fullest range of it (despite dying the youngest of them at 46 years old).
And so here are Albert Camus’ 4 principles for making the most out of your present moment.
#1 — Focus on the small things.
This idea came from Camus’ conclusion that, “The literal meaning of life is doing whatever prevents you from killing yourself.”
Which was basically why he later asked himself the question: “Should I kill myself or, have a cup of coffee?”
Now you might be surprised that his reason for living was something as small as getting a cup of coffee, but considering his emphasis on the ordinary and mundane in life, it only made sense to grab for the small things nearby. Like a cup of coffee, or reading a good book, or walking your dog.
Now what happens as a consequence for following through with these micro goals, is essentially Camus’ definition of success: Because the important thing here is that you’re acting — you’re doing whatever prevents you from killing yourself.
