What it Means to Say Life is Absurd

A simple analogy that bypasses the pretentious existential jargon

Photo of Dolche herself, taken by her human walker

One of the clichés in modern philosophy is that life is absurd. As to what that cliché means, you’re supposed to wade through some of the most pretentious prose, by Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre, to understand it in much depth.

But to clarify that declaration of life’s absurdity, consider this simple analogy that struck me recently as I was walking some friends’ dog, named Dolche, around the suburban block near where they live.

Encountering Absurdity While Walking a Dog

Dolche is a medium-sized, strong dog who was rescued from an animal shelter, and as we were walking along the sidewalk, Dolche saw a smaller dog — let’s call her Lilly — who was being walked perhaps thirty meters in the distance. Instantly Dolche became restless, and she strained the leash to attempt to visit Lilly.

But Dolche can be unpredictable around strangers, so I had to restrain her by keeping hold of the leash and pulling her back. When she saw she wouldn’t be able to inspect or challenge Lilly, Dolche hurried to the grass beside the sidewalk and urinated to mark her territory.