October 25, 2025
It’s easy to look at Voltaire’s words and think, “That doesn’t apply to me.”
But it does. It applies to all of us. Because absurdities don’t always come packaged as wild conspiracy theories or dangerous ideologies. Sometimes, they show up as whispers we tell ourselves: “I’m not good enough.” “I have to earn rest.” “Everyone else knows what they’re doing.”
Those are absurdities too, and believing them leads us to commit quiet little atrocities against ourselves.
The Subtle Art of Believing Absurdities
Voltaire was talking about the kind of belief that turns societies upside down, but there’s a smaller version that happens inside our own heads every day. We believe that our worth is measured by productivity, that our value is conditional, that our purpose has an expiration date. None of that is true, but it’s amazing how convincing those lies can sound when repeated long enough.
When we stop questioning the absurd, we stop thinking critically. And when we stop thinking critically, someone, or something, else starts thinking for us.
That’s how absurdity spreads: quietly, efficiently, and often with a smile.
Modern Atrocities
We might not be burning books or storming castles, but we still commit small, invisible atrocities when we forget our humanity.
When we choose outrage over empathy.
When we scroll instead of speak.
When we perform instead of connect.
Absurdity thrives where humility dies. It feeds on certainty and the false comfort of “us versus them.”
If you’ve ever unfollowed a friend because they think differently, you’ve felt it.
If you’ve ever shared a post just because it confirmed what you already believed, you’ve done it.
And if you’ve ever judged someone you’ve never met, you’ve participated in the absurd.
The Hard Work of Thinking
Thinking for yourself is messy. It’s slower, quieter, lonelier work than following the crowd. It requires admitting you might be wrong, or worse, that you might never have all the answers.
But that’s where freedom hides.
When you question what you’re told, you reclaim a piece of your autonomy. When you notice the absurd before it becomes your truth, you take back control of your narrative.
We can’t always control what we’re told to believe. But we can decide which thoughts we let move in, and which ones we show the door.
The Takeaway
Voltaire wasn’t just talking about the power of belief—he was warning us about the cost of forgetting how to think.
So today, before you accept a belief, big or small, ask yourself two questions:
- Who benefits if I believe this?
- Who gets hurt if I don’t?
That’s how you spot the absurdities early, before they turn into something much worse.
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