Being absurd

It was intriguing to witness a man's dogged persistence at drawing a distinction - to be, to begin with, one of the accepted good, but soon found to be one with a different mind, stretching the good after dark - till the very distinction becomes a vehement fight for identity. To know one's class is in part to know the mind's mode of thought, then find the quirks in the details that make subtle variations in conclusions - variations that become so critical to point out that they symbolize and safeguard, and otherwise threaten to compromise, the very passion that led to the inspection of such depth. The obviously worthless are first filtered out; to be part of the betters, however, is not a satisfaction for long - there is a persistent urge to filter more, distance more, till friends run out and one is alone to fight for his own genius.
The fine line that Camus draws between existentialist escape and absurdist struggle perhaps finds its most sublime example in Camus' own persistence to separate himself from being classified as an existentialist. Walking on that narrow line, on the strength of a position that makes the final distinction, is what is being and living the absurd. To be aware of that distinction, and to defy escape thereon is what gives birth to an absurdist.

Note 1. Gandhi's satyagraha is typically absurd.
Note 2. RMS's ideas on free software, and his distinction between the terms free and open-source make him an absurd man.