Max Murphy

@maxmurphyxyz.bsky.social

146 Followers 200 Following

Existential imbecile exploring the absurdity of existence. maxmurphy.xyz

A man throwing himself into the sun as another man watches in horror .
For me, creation is the highest form of existence. To make something that matters to real people. And that is exactly what I'm (hopefully) doing here! So if you want to help an existential imbecile deny his death, make sure you re subscribed :)
But those hero myths don't define you. You can leave them behind for better hero myths-ones YOU choose! You might be condemned to be free, but you are still free dang it. so start acting like it!
As if life's deepest despair can be cured by sitting in a church once a week or selling your labor to someone who doesn't know your name.
Tragically, most people drift along life as side characters in someone else's story.
Does it really matter if you grow your cringey Little newsletter to a million subscribers, make it in the history books, and change the world? No, it doesn't... But it's fun to pretend it does.
This myth isn't about deluding yourself, it's about finding a narrative so compelling that it drowns out the death anxiety.
A hero myth could be... the pursuit of art finding spiritual enlightenment or getting top comment on a YouTube video
Dr. Becker prescribes a Hero Myth a narrative that gives your pathetic life meaning.
HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS AND BE OKAY?!
We're wired to survive But survival is futile
We're cursed with the knowledge of our own mortality, the constant awareness of death haunting us like a shadow. Us one day. RIP Yes, in the same coffin ;) Becker calls this Death Anxiety.
In The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker argues that life is basically a meaningless march toward an inevitable end. It's a bit of a sick joke: awareness of your life also means awareness of your death.
Help, money is killing me. Or, should I say lack thereof?
Screenshot of audiobook of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.
A four-panel cartoon that critiques income inequality. Top-left panel: A tired-looking fast-food worker wearing a red uniform lies on the ground, saying, "Just a few more months and I'll have enough for my own place." Top-right panel: A concerned bystander exclaims, "Outrageous! No full-time worker should be homeless! We need to increase the minimum wage!" Bottom-left panel: The fast-food worker angrily responds, "I don't need a handout! Just more hard work and I'll earn my way up!" The bystander looks confused. Bottom-right panel: A wealthy CEO with a smug smile, dressed in a top hat and monocle, sits at a desk surrounded by large bags of money labeled with dollar signs. The CEO enthusiastically says, "You tell 'em!" The comic is signed with "MaxMurphy.xyz" at the middle, reflecting its source.