Myth Out Of Chaos

Myth, in its broadest sense, functions as a bridge between chaos (the absurd) and the order of meaning. It offers humanity a way to navigate the inherently unknowable and often irrational elements of life. Myths serve as meaning-making systems, helping individuals and societies create narratives that give structure to the world around them—both the external and the internal.

When you consider the absurdity of existence—the fact that we’re here, conscious, and trying to make sense of an often inexplicable universe—myths provide a means of survival. They offer explanations for why things are the way they are, even when those explanations may not adhere to the rigid demands of logic or science. Instead of asking what is true in an empirical sense, myths are more concerned with what is meaningful to the individuals and communities who share them.

The function of myth, then, is not simply to convey truth but to create a shared, coherent story that allows people to act within their world, understand their place within it, and offer some sense of control or hope in the face of existential absurdity. Myths allow societies to forge meaning out of what could be interpreted as meaningless randomness.

Absurdity, when confronted in this way, becomes a source of creative potential. In the context of mythology, absurdity isn’t something to be defeated or explained away. It’s an essential part of the narrative structure. Myths are full of contradictions, paradoxes, and impossible scenarios—gods who fight with themselves, beings who live in multiple dimensions, worlds that end only to be reborn. These absurdities, rather than diminishing the value of myths, actually enhance their ability to function as systems of meaning. They help the myth transcend simple explanations of the world to engage with deeper psychological, philosophical, and spiritual themes.

What makes this especially interesting is that myth, as a meaning-making system, functions as an absurdity buffer, allowing people to coexist with uncertainty. It doesn’t eliminate the chaos—it embraces it and finds ways to work with it. And, in doing so, it offers a space where the human mind can engage with the unexplainable without collapsing into despair.

This is a potent counterpoint to more rationalistic approaches, where the goal is often to eliminate absurdity through logic or reason. In myth, absurdity becomes part of the human experience, embraced and woven into the fabric of reality. It becomes a source of meaning itself.