Spiritual well-being and meaning in response to the absurd mediating the act of suicide in Becketts Waiting for Godot

Title

Spiritual well-being and meaning in response to the absurd mediating the act of suicide in Becketts Waiting for Godot

Creator

DSouza, Anil

Description

The contagion of happiness appears as a dichotomic principle in the pursuit of a full life where the philosophy of the Absurd emerges as a foundational aspect in man's search for meaning, given the cognitive distortions and existential anxiety with which man endures his existence. Most organisational studies on meaning and well-being do not reference the Absurd from where the discourse must begin and from where mental states of flourishing or resignation can emerge. Beckett's absurdist play Waiting for Godot' acts as a compelling device for contemplating the art of finding meaning through the spiritual interface of man's relationship with himself, the problem of free will, an appeal to divine agency evidenced through Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling' and the existential deliberations in Albert Camus's Myth of Sisyphus when examining the absurd and in invoking a transcendental movement towards finding purpose. In all the relativism of moral codes that are expounded, a constant element is the need for a spiritual anchor which can heal emotional fragmentation through a decisive moral code on which the edifice of the human condition can be reasoned. This explorative study provides a determining reference point when developing reflective interventions to examine meaning and existential purpose in social and occupational practice. The paper examines the concept of absurdism through the philosophy of Camus and juxtaposes this with the spiritual existentialism of Soren Kierkegaard and St Augustine in understanding the human condition as a forward movement from absurdism towards meaning. 2025 International Network for the Study of Spirituality and Taylor & Francis.

Source

Journal for the Study of Spirituality;Volume;15;Issue;2;pp.189-205

Date

01-01-2025

Publisher

Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Subject

Albert Camus; Augustine of Hippo; Samuel Beckett; Soren Kierkegaard; Spirituality, waiting for Godot

Coverage

DSouza A., Department of Management, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Lavasa - Pune, India

Rights

Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library

Relation

ISSN: 20440243;

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1080/20440243.2025.2468709

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105001581696?origin=resultslist