1 Timothy 6:7 goes, “A human comes to the world with nothing and leaves the world with nothing." However, to live a human life, a human certainly brings some things to the world. It can be their talents, personality or physical traits. Such innate attributes partially characterize their experiences in life. However, humans certainly possess a double nature that is essential for defining what it means to be human.
A Nobel Prize winner and a renowned existentialist of the 20th century, Albert Camus contemplated the question of what it means to be human through his character Jean-Baptiste Clamence in the Fall. Clamence suggests that beneath the surface of virtuous and benevolent human acts resides deep-rooted self-love. He says humans share the same type of egoism, and he ”had been in love exclusively with himself.” Virtue, ethics, religion are examples of the representation of self-love, according to Clamence. For instance, he says, “They (Christians) have hoisted Jesus onto a judge’s bench in the secret of their hearts, and they smite, they judge above all, they judge in his name.” By this Clamence seems to indicate that People, including Christians, want to feel aloft by judging others thereby protest their innocence. Also, he argues that people are essentially indifferent to others. “Who, cher monsieur ,will sleep on the floor for us? Whether I am capable of it myself? Look, I’d like to be and I shall be. Yes, we shall all be capable of it one day and that will be salvation.” He is certainly being sarcastic at this point where he says that we shall all be capable of sacrificing for others. In fact, no one is capable of true selflessness. Instead, people are generous to whom they feel no obligations.“But do you know why we are always more just and more generous toward the dead? The reason is simple. With them, there is no obligation.”
After realizing the fact that his benevolence was rooted in his desire to feel above of others, Clamence started to feel guilt. Then he says, “I had to liberate at all cost the feeling that was stifling me.” He tries in vain to get rid of this guilt throughout the novel. One time he tries to get rid of his guilt by judging others. However, by judging others he ends up judging and being judged by others, and cannot protest his innocence anymore. Then, he goes on and indulges himself in debauchery. Debauchery provides himself with numbing, transcendent feeling that liberates him from guilt. He again feels being aloft and now feels immortal. However, he realizes that debauchery itself would lead him to death by damaging his body. His desire to be immortal is satisfied by the things that would reveal his mortality. “Since, in the waking state and with a little self-knowledge, one can see no reason why immortality should be conferred on a salacious monkey, one has to obtain substitutes for that immortality. “At last, he tries to get rid of his guilt by ridiculing himself. Then, he comes to the concept of judge-penitent. “I became not only a judge in turn but even more: an irascible master who wanted, regardless of all laws, to strike down the offender and get him on his knees.” By judging himself for the sake of others, he makes other people feel guilty about their crimes. Having acknowledged prior to others that no one is innocent, he feels aloft again and becomes capable of judging others without being judged. Clamence remarks, “I have nothing but accomplices.”
Now, from the existential standpoint we can say that humans have overweening self-love, guilt and shame coming from admitting their hypocrisy and double-mindedness, and desire to judge others. Despite having recognized this somewhat gloomy and pessimistic nature in ourselves, we still long for immortality and freedom from slavery. What could people believe that would bring them eternity and freedom? According to Camus, Clamence feels immortal by indulging in debauchery and frees himself from slavery by being judge-penitent or master. He claims himself to be “Elijah without a messiah.” In this case, he believes that there would be no salvation but only judgment. However, Camus’ assumptions about slavery and judgment are quite different than mine. He assumes that there is no good or evil in this world; therefore, humans enslave each other by judging and protesting their innocence. However, when we believe that there is good and evil in this world, it is not only the judgment of others that enslaves us but the evil itself. Evil constantly enslaves us and keeps us from freedom. It is the result of the Fall of humanity. After the fall of humanity, humans were enslaved to evil. This evil is rooted in self-love, which is the cause of all sins. By observing ourselves being hypocritical because we often realize that our actions are deeply rooted in self-love, we long for some kind of salvation. We can recognize that humans are created to have longed for eternity. Slavery to evil, however, cuts us off from the access to eternal life. Through salvation by God, what humans acquire is not the right to judge others by protesting their innocence but letting God be the judge in our place so that we can love others, as we ought, not out of selfish love but out of love that God has poured to us.
In conclusion, through examination of human experiences, we acknowledge that we are self-centered and guilty but have longed for eternity and freedom. Only through salvation, we could be freed and immortal.
