The Stranger on LinkedIn

Chapter 1: The Stranger

He had always been a stranger to himself and to others. He didn’t have any passions, ambitions, or attachments. No opinions, beliefs, or values. No friends, family, or lovers. He had a job, a house, a car, but he felt nothing for them. He had a life, but he didn’t live it.

He spent his days doing the same things over and over again, without any interest or joy. He woke up, ate breakfast, went to work, ate lunch, went back to work, came home, ate dinner, watched TV, went to bed. He repeated his routine every day, every week, every month, every year. He didn’t care about anything or anyone. He didn’t know why he was alive or what he was doing.

One day, he joined LinkedIn. He had heard that it was a good way to network and advance his work. He didn’t care about his work, but he thought it might be a good way to pass the time. He created a profile, uploaded a photo, added some details about his education and work experience. He didn’t write anything about his interests or hobbies or goals. He had none.

He started to browse through the profiles of other people. He saw their photos, their names, their titles, their summaries. He saw their achievements, their endorsements, their recommendations. He saw their posts, their comments, their likes. He saw their expressions of gratitude, enthusiasm, optimism, passion. He saw their claims of expertise, authority, influence, leadership. He saw their invitations to connect, collaborate, learn, and grow.

He felt nothing for them. He didn’t understand them. He didn’t want to connect with them. He didn’t want to collaborate with them. He didn’t want to learn from them. He didn’t want to grow with them. He didn’t care about them.

He decided to write a post. He didn’t know what to write about. He didn’t have anything to say. He didn’t have anything to share. He didn’t have anything to offer.

He remembered that he had read some books by Albert Camus and Friedrich Nietzsche when he was in college. He had found them interesting at the time, but he had forgotten most of what they said. He decided to write about them.

He opened a new tab on his browser and searched for their names. He found some summaries and quotes of their books and ideas. He copied and pasted some of them into his post.

He wrote that he had just finished reading the books by Camus and Nietzsche and that he had discovered the meaning of life.

He wrote that the meaning of life was nothing.

Chapter 2: The LinkedIn

He wrote that life was absurd, meaningless, and hopeless. He wrote that we were all doomed to suffer and die in a hostile and indifferent universe. He wrote that there was no God, no morality, no justice, no hope. He wrote that we were all alone, free to create our own values and goals, but ultimately doomed to fail and perish.

He wrote that this was hilarious and liberating. Once he realized that life was absurd, he stopped worrying about everything. He stopped chasing after illusions and false promises. He wrote that he stopped conforming to society’s expectations and norms. He wrote that he stopped pretending that he cared about anything or anyone. He wrote that he just did whatever he wanted and enjoyed the absurdity of it all.

He wrote that he was writing this post to share his enlightenment with his LinkedIn friends, but he didn’t care if they read it or not. He didn’t care if they liked it or not. He didn’t care if they agreed with him or not. He didn’t care about anything or anyone. He wrote that he was just having fun with words and ideas, playing with the absurdity of life.

He asked them what they thought. He asked them if they agreed with him. He asked them if they wanted to join him in this absurd adventure. If they wanted to read more of Camus and Nietzsche’s books and learn more about their philosophy. Or he asked them if they thought he was crazy and needed help.

He told them to let him know in the comments below. Or not. He said it did not matter anyway. Nothing mattered anyway. Life was absurd and we were all going to die.

He thanked them for reading his post and for being part of his network. Or not. Whatever. He said goodbye and clicked on the post button and waited for the reactions.

He did not have to wait long.

Within minutes, his post received hundreds of comments, likes, shares, and messages.

Chapter 3: The People

Some people praised him for his honesty, courage, and wisdom. They said they agreed with him completely and they wanted to join him in his absurd adventure. They said they admired him for his freedom and happiness. That they wanted to read more of his posts and learn more from him.

Some people criticized him for his negativity, arrogance, and ignorance. They said they disagreed with him completely and that they pitied him for his absurd life. They said they despised him for his nihilism and selfishness. They said they wanted to report him for his bad and mean content.

Absurd means something that makes no sense or is very silly. For example, a fish riding a bicycle is absurd.

Nihilism means the belief that nothing matters or has any value. For example, a nihilist might say that it doesn’t matter if you are good or bad, happy or sad.

Some people tried to help him for his depression, confusion, and despair. They said they understood his pain and frustration but that there was more to life than nothingness. They said they cared about him and wanted to help him find meaning and purpose in life. They said they wanted to connect with him and offer him support and resources.

Some people mocked him for his stupidity, pretentiousness, and boredom. They said they laughed at his post and found it hilarious but not in the way he intended. They said they ridiculed him for his lack of originality and creativity. They said they wanted to troll him and make fun of him.

Some people ignored him for his irrelevance, insignificance, and worthlessness. They said they did not read his post or care about his opinions. They said they had better things to do and more important people to talk to. They said they wanted to block him and forget about him.

He read all the comments, likes, shares, and messages. He felt nothing for them. He didn’t understand them. He didn’t care about them.

He decided to write another post. He didn’t know what to write about. He didn’t have anything to say. He didn’t have anything to share. He didn’t have anything to offer.

He opened a new tab on his browser and searched for something else. He found some summaries and quotes of some other books and ideas. He copied and pasted some of them into his post.

He wrote that he had just finished reading the books by Leo Tolstoy and Viktor Frankl and that he had discovered the meaning of life.

He wrote that the meaning of life was… choice.

Chapter 4: The History

He wrote that life was not absurd, but existential. He wrote that we were not doomed, but responsible. He wrote that there was no God, but there was freedom. He wrote that there was no morality, but there was authenticity. He wrote that there was no hope, but there was courage.

He wrote that this was terrifying and exhilarating. He wrote that once he realized that life was existential, he started to make choices. He wrote that he started to create his own meaning and values. He wrote that he started to act according to his own conscience and will. He wrote that he started to care about himself and others. He wrote that he just did whatever he chose and enjoyed the freedom of it all.

He wrote that he was writing this post to share his enlightenment with his LinkedIn friends, but he didn’t care if they read it or not. He didn’t care if they liked it or not. He didn’t care if they agreed with him or not. He didn’t care about anything or anyone. He wrote that he was just having fun with words and ideas, playing with the absurdity of life.

He asked them what they thought. He asked them if they agreed with him. He asked them if they wanted to join him in this absurd adventure. He asked them if they wanted to read more of Tolstoy and Viktor's books and learn more about their philosophy. Or he asked them if they thought he was delusional and needed help.

He told them to let him know in the comments below. Or not. He said it did not matter anyway. Nothing mattered anyway. Life was absurd and we were all going to die.

He thanked them for reading his post and for being part of his network. Or not. Whatever. He said goodbye and clicked on the post button and waited for the reactions.

He did not have to wait long.

Within minutes, his post received hundreds of comments, likes, shares, and messages.

Some people praised him for his honesty, courage, and wisdom. They said they chose their own lives and that they wanted to join him in his existential adventure. They said they admired him for his freedom and authenticity. They said they wanted to read more of his posts and learn more from him.

Some people criticized him for his inconsistency, arrogance, and ignorance. They said he contradicted himself and changed his mind too easily. They said he despised him for his relativism and subjectivism. They said they wanted to report him for his inappropriate and offensive content.

Some people tried to help him for his confusion, anxiety, and despair. They said they understood his struggle and doubt but that there was more to life than choice. They said they cared about him and wanted to help him find faith and purpose in life. They said they wanted to connect with him and offer him support and resources.

Some people mocked him for his stupidity, pretentiousness, and boredom. They said they laughed at his post and found it hilarious but not in the way he intended. They said they ridiculed him for his lack of originality and creativity. They said they wanted to troll him and make fun of him.

Some people ignored him for his irrelevance, insignificance, and worthlessness. They said they didn't read his post or care about his opinions. They said they had better things to do and more important people to talk to. They said they wanted to block him and forget about him.

He read all the comments, likes, shares, and messages. He felt nothing for them. He didn't understand them. He didn't care about them.

He decided to write another post. He didn't know what to write about. He didn't have anything to say. He didn't have anything to share. He didn't have anything to offer.

He opened a new tab on his browser and searched for something else. He found some summaries and quotes of some other books and ideas. He copied and pasted some of them into his post.

He wrote that he had just finished reading the books by Kierkegaard and Sartre and that he had discovered the meaning of life.

He wrote that the meaning of life was...

Yo! You made it to the end of this long post! I’m impressed and grateful. I hope you got something out of it, but if not, no worries. Life is absurd and beautiful anyway. Have a great life!?