Existentialism is what fuels contemporary liberalism, and when one finally fully commits to it, one is confronted with being conscious for a few short years in a frigid and otherwise overwhelmingly meaningless and lifeless universe. At first one feels heroic, continuing to live in those circumstances, but eventually that gloss fades to black.
If one is rescued by the Truth, prideful heroism becomes joyful humility, and embrace of Jesus obtains hope and light. If one rejects all invitations to the Truth, remaining obstinate in self-absorption, the alternative becomes increasingly seductive.
RIP, indeed.
I fully agree. HST lived in a world of meaninglessness and the absurd. One, by the way, he created for himself. As a counter-balance, I believe many of them manufacture and inhabit the mythical kingdom of social utopianism. HST, was the court jester there.
Whatever else HST was, it is his iconic status in the counter-culture Left that will be his longterm footnote in history - not his writing. Because he wrote of pop culture and did so with an existentialist's rebel wit, his 'work' will be locked in this era with Boomer fans for all time. Outside of this time and this place, he will have no meaning for generations to come.
Like most Boomer ideas and fashions, icons like HST are relevant only to that g-g-generation and once the shared is lost (like a private joke) the 'greatness' will fade like cheap paint. Even today, what is arguably the most important Boomer contribution to American culture - rock music - is eroding into jingles to sell Buicks and hamburgers. Hunter Thompson was funny, I'll give him that, but he will live on only so long as Boomers live.
What will be supremely ironic is the mad rush to 'own' a piece of this 'legend.' Like the good 'experience' seeking hedonists they were raised to be, Boomers will seek fragments of his life to hang on a wall or use as a watch fob. Sotheby, Christie's and other auction houses will soon be hawking the debris of his life that the family didn't want. This is probably why he used a firearm to take off his head - so it wouldn't end up on some Dentist's wall in Hoboken, NJ.
RIP.
"Existentialism is what fuels contemporary liberalism, and when one finally fully commits to it, one is confronted with being conscious for a few short years in a frigid and otherwise overwhelmingly meaningless and lifeless universe."
Agreed.
Sartre defined much of the thought of the post modern lefty including the embrace of suicide. It brings to mind many late nite college bull sessions.
A logical course to take in the face of such nothingness is to kill one's self. Instead, lefties insist on hanging around making life miserable by assuming that life is miserable and if you are not miserable, then you are just too stupid.
Unfortunately, too few of the devout believers of this line of "thinking" will follow it to its ultimate conclusion.