"Life is a series of choices, creating stress"

"To be, or not to be, that is the question" (Shakespeare, Hamlet)
Chocolate or Vanilla? Yes or No? Right or Left? Accomplish or Procrastinate? 

Life is a series of choices, creating stress. From the moment you hesitate within two options stress is already created. Continuously choices come in the way, even unconsciously. Have you ever walked into a room and once there realized you have no idea why you did it? It was absolutely involuntary, at the moment you didn’t stress about the choice but once made conscious about it you did stress about why you made it. Each choice is a brick in the building of life, in the end depending on the way the brick was placed; the building’s shape turns out. At the same time, the building accumulates stress with each brick that is placed.

Most humans build their life this way because those are society’s blueprints. Meursault however refused to follow them. He demonstrated that life doesn’t have to necessarily be a series of choices that create stress. For the most Meursault acted upon instinct. He didn’t rationalize about the future, but rather did as he pleased at the moment. By doing this, he didn’t stress when making the choice or in the future when accepting the consequence. The only thing in his mind was the experience and acceptance of it. “The trigger gave… in that noise, sharp and deafening…is where it all started…” (Chp. 6, Part I, Camus) Meursault never stressed upon killing the Arab, he just went ahead and shot him because he felt like it at the moment. He had no reasons or explanations besides from what it really was for him, “I said it just happened that way” (Chp. 3, Part II, Camus) For him, this criminal act didn’t mean the end of his life, but quite the contrary, it was the beginning of a new experience.

Existentialism is more than clear in Camus, and reflected throughout his character Meursault. Mankind has free will by controlling their choices. Nevertheless, they are responsible to accept what the choice leads them to. It is ok to do as you please like Meursault did by killing the Arab, as long as you acknowledge your responsibility like he did by admitting his criminality and punishment. All choices steer humans to the same stop that makes them equal. Death. Every choice you make is another step towards it. After holding so many bricks, the building comes to a point where one last brick’s weight makes it crumble. In any case it has no importance because everyone will eventually die while others are living, and then those living will eventually die as well, and it goes on.