Camus and South Korea's Epidemic - Project 2

            Albert Camus was an absurd author that held extreme and firm philosophical beliefs. What would he have thought about the alarming number of suicides in South Korea? Camus viewed life as inherently meaningless, and he thought it was futile to try and find such meaning. Despite the absurdity of life, he argued that we must confront it in order to live fully and authentically. Thus, Camus would have seen the absurdity of the suicides in South Korea and believed it to be a social epidemic.

            In 2022 alone, South Korea had a suicide rate of 26 individuals per 100,000, around 13400 integers (Statistic Korea 1). Well-known problems in South Korea like the high academic pressure and nonacceptance of mental illnesses, and lesser-known problems like mistreatment towards the elderly are why their suicide rate is so high. Camus describes suicide as a “truly serious philosophical problem” and the individuals that commit this act to “confessing that life is too much” or rather they “do not understand it” (The Myth of Sisyphus 3, 5).  With his perspective in mind, Camus would have likely believed that these suicides were a symptom of a prevalent existential crisis where individuals failed to find their purpose. Camus says, “There are many causes for a suicide, and generally the most obvious ones were not the most powerful” (The Myth of Sisyphus 4). This would support the belief that individuals failed to find their purpose and these more general causes such as high pressure are claimed as the cause, although they are not. This would not sit right with Camus since he believes that individuals should face the absurdity of life and make meaning through meaninglessness.

            Furthermore, Camus also despises oppressive governments and societies. In this case, he would certainly criticize South Korean society for its highly competitive nature and priority for educational success. In The Rebel, Camus writes “These are the conclusions of individualism in revolt. The individual cannot accept history as it is. He must destroy reality, not collaborate with it, in order to affirm his own existence” (120). This affirms his belief in individualism and the fact that it’s up to the individuals to stand up against the persecutors that oppress their individual rights. Without standing up for themselves, the oppressed will never find freedom and therefore be slaves to social norms and limits put on them by their society. This could very well be the situation that numerous Koreans are in. “In 2017 in South Korea, nearly 1 in 4 individuals suffered from a mental disorder, though only 1 in 10 received treatment” (Sarosh Nagar 1). The high pressure and collectivism-based ideals make it hard for Koreans to seek help because then the individuals feel like they are burdening themselves and others by focusing on themselves. This type of society is exactly what Camus is so against. A type of society that oppresses an individual so much that they can no longer live authentically and with meaning. Camus would label some aspects of this society as problematic or even failing.

Moreover, this goes against Camus’s belief in triumphing against the absurdity of life. His firm belief in facing absurdity can be read in the novel, The Plague, when the town of Oran gets overrun by a plague (1). The main character, Dr. Bernard Rieux, tirelessly goes around and helps people suffering from the plague. Despite the absurdity and seeming hopelessness of the situation, Dr. Rieux finds himself with meaning and purpose; to help those around him and to ease their suffering. Dr. Rieux knows the fate that awaits most of the populace, but he doesn’t give up and just keeps on trying (1). The theme of this novel could be translated to the struggles found into South Korea. For one, there is a great struggle that sweeps up the town, this could be compared to the struggles of South Korean citizens and the stresses they face every day. Second, the effect of the plague on an individual. Different individuals’ bodies reacted differently to the plague, most of the people that got the plague perished, but some managed to survive (1). This can be compared to how the Koreans deal with their struggles and how one experience isn’t universal. And last, the absurdity behind each respective situation. In both situations, there isn’t a meaning behind the causes of the struggle. Like in The Plague, the disease comes suddenly and without meaning, the struggles of South Koreans also come suddenly and without any inherent meaning.

Finally, Camus would believe that this type of society would not change without some rebellion from its people. Camus writes in The Rebel, asking, “What is a rebel? A man who says no, but whose refusal does not imply a renunciation. He is also a man who says yes, from the moment he makes his first gesture of rebellion” (17). The rebel that Camus is describing is someone who envisions something greater than what currently exists. In this case, the status quo in South Korea could be improved upon if the citizens were willing to say no to their norms and strived for change in their society. Camus truly believed in the power of individuality and human perseverance.

In conclusion, Camus would agree that suicides in South Korea are a social epidemic and that they involved philosophical reasoning. Firstly, the individuals failed to find meaning in their life and therefore failed to confront the absurdity of life. Second, their society failed to let individuals express their freedom and thus led them into their current situation. And last, the people aren’t willing to rebel, in a metaphorical way, which lets their society impose whatever norms they want on them. Throughout his novels, Camus emphasizes individualism and individual rights. When such rights are impeded upon, individuals must group up and rebel against tyranny, and when faced with great challenges, they must gather the courage to confront them.

 

 

Works Cited

Camus, Albert. The Plague. New York :Vintage Books, 1991.

Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Translated by Justin O’Brien, Penguin Classics, 2000.

Camus Albert et al. The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt. Knopf 1956.

Statistics Korea. “Birth and Death: Population and Household: Press Releases.” Statistics Korea, 2022

Nagar, Sarosh. “The Struggle of Mental Health Care Delivery in South Korea and Singapore.” Harvard International Review, Harvard International Review, 11 Mar. 2022