The Plague

By Albert Camus

More reading for my philsophy explorations. A story of the outbreak of bubonic plague in Orman. 

How does one deal with senseless, persistent suffering or evil, be-it war, death, facism or plague? There are ways...

• Quiet persistent resistance. Fight the evil without hope of final victory.
• Reject the judgement. Revolt. Organize for the greater good.
• Humility. Moral value is found in persistent and small human acts
• Faith-- struggle to reconcile belief with senseless evil
• Understand your part-- individualism and personal happiness vs the greater good and moral duty.

Meaning is not found in the universe or in the afterlife, but in our actions. 

Evil retreats and evil returns. Never forget that. Be vigilant. 

"On this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and it's up to us, so far as possible, not to join forces with the pestilences. That may sound simple to the point of childishness; I can't judge if it's simple, but I know it's true. You see, I'd heard such quantities of arguments, which very nearly turn my head, and turned other people's heads enough to make them approve of murder; and I'd come to realize that all our troubles spring from the failure to use plain clear-cut language. So I resolved always to speak-- and to act-- quite clearly, as this was the only way of setting myself on the right track." 

"the doctor raised himself a little in his chair and asked if Taro and an idea of the path to follow for attaining peace.

"Yes", he replied. "The path of sympathy."

"A man should fight for the victims, but if he ceases caring for anything outside that, what's the use of his fighting?"