In addition, benign and hostile forces were equally likely to invoke change in doctrinal concepts. Finally, external forces tended to affect both the lay and monastic community fairly drastically, while internal forces had no clear tendency towards either the lay or monastic communities.
Theravada Buddhism is not immune to the laws that govern all religions. As thousands of years go by, and the world around it changes, it shifts and adjusts. These changes can be attributed in some degree to internal and external forces that naturally cause the doctrines of the religion to shift. Theravada Buddhism, despite being the more orthodox and rigid Buddhist tradition, has shown itself to be a dynamic, changing religion. It has adapted to situations by modifying its doctrines as necessary and in so doing, shown its endurance. Buddhism has lasted for over twenty-five centuries, and is likely to continue on for thousands of years to come, because of the ability of its followers to adapt and interpret doctrine. The Buddha said, “Even well-decked royal chariots wear away;/And the body too falls into decay./But the dhamma of good ones goes not to decay,/For the good speak [of it] with the good.” These words apply to the entire Theravada tradition—it endures.




In the wake of the Holocaust, French Existentialist Albert Camus published a novel that, on the surface, had nothing to do with the Holocaust. The Plague was, however, an allegory for the genocide that the world was suffering through. The narrator tells the story of Rieux (and turns out to be Rieux). When the plague strikes the small North African French village of Oran, Rieux—the doctor—finds himself faced with countless difficult decisions to make; the first decision is the closing of Oran’s gates and its isolation from the rest of the world. In Rieux’s desperate struggle to save as many people as possible, Camus reveals an insight about the Holocaust. Camus portrays Rieux as a quintessential existential hero, and in so doing he suggests that the submission of Europe to Nazi rule can be explained by a general focus on self-interest.
	Camus explains the world in terms of one simple truth: people die. As a corollary to this truth, Camus explains that the decisions people make on a day-to-day basis are trivial and meaningless. In fact, all free will is meaningless, as the net result of any decision, in the very very long term, is death. In light of this sole truth, Camus describes existential heroes as men or women who understand that the choices they make are meaningless, and choose to help others nonetheless. They help others, even knowing that they will not be rewarded for their heroic actions. These existential heroes can be found in nearly all of Camus’ work.
	Dr. Rieux is a prime example of an existential hero. When the plague strikes Oran, he devotes his life to saving as many people as possible. 