Humor: Existentialist A-frame laments: “I get blown down, I get put back up, ad infinitum”

Finding meaning in advertising for a fraternity

I was blown down today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure. The wind took up a great gust, and the people on campus charged with maintaining my condition had left me a telegram: “SORRY, DON’T FEEL LIKE PUTTING YOU BACK UP. HAVE TO WAIT THE WEEKEND OUT.” Which told me something: I’m pretty sure I got blown over on a Friday. UC Davis is a campus full of life. Yet so many times I found myself simply being passed by or being outright ignored. The signs around me are much more interesting: the ski or snowboard club has a beautiful sign with a mountainous landscape painted on it. The equestrian club of course has a majestic horse featured on it. And what do I have? “RUSH ZETA.”

Now, there are moments when these simple, bold letters give me pleasure. They are elegant and striking. However, like all pleasure in this temporary world, it is only fleeting. Finding comfort in my appearance has been a thankless task, and it’s so much more difficult to be happy if you are constantly being blown over.

Nearly every week the wind will gust and I will again find myself flat. These repetitions of being flattened have become a routine I’ve accepted. Not with peace, but with passivity.

I have been, for the length of my short existence, searching for a meaning to imprint upon my meaningless life. What more can a poorly built A-frame wish for than just the comfort of standing upright and the attention of curious students?

However bleak, I will push through this pressing anxiety. I will search for meaning among an absurd, windy world. And I will not be a stranger to my authentic self.

Written by: Aaron Levins — adlevins@ucdavis.edu

(This article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and the names of “sources” are fictionalized.)