Welcome to The Murphy Memos!

Have you ever noticed that existing is actually pretty traumatic?

We’re all destined to die and become worm food one day. You. Me. Everyone you know. Everyone you’ve ever heard of. Is it possible to be okay despite knowing this?

Hell if I know. But I do know one thing: if you don’t laugh, you cry.

I choose to laugh. I hope you do too.

Who is Max Murphy?

Max Murphy is a recovering doomer trying to live as a creature in an age of machines. He writes to make sense of the whacky, wonderful, terrifying experiment we call existence—and to help others do the same.

Before writing this newsletter, Max spent his time desperately trying to game the YouTube algorithm. He live tweeted the subsequent mental breakdown here:

Why do you write The Murphy Memos?

“Not to laugh, not to lament, not to curse, but to understand.” —Spinoza

What to Expect

I publish non-fiction essays that attempt to make sense of the absurdity of existence. Sometimes funny. Sometimes disturbing. Always human-made.