Father Bayer: Finding true motivation in life

Father John Bayer, O. Cist., argues that true human motivation and energy must come from more than physical habits like eating, sleeping, or exercising. Writing for The Texas Catholic, Father Bayer suggests that even physically healthy individuals may struggle to function if they lack a sense of meaning in their lives.

Father Bayer contrasts the Christian perspective with the views of atheist philosopher Albert Camus. He notes that Camus suggested people could find happiness by accepting the pointlessness of existence and viewing themselves as the authors of their own lives, similar to the mythological figure Sisyphus. Father Bayer contends that any meaning humans create for themselves is destined to fail due to death and the chaos of life.

The article references Joseph Ratzinger, the theologian who later became Pope Benedict XVI, who argued in his book Introduction to Christianity that such philosophical attempts to create self-generated meaning are vain and unreasonable.