The Myth of Sisyphus–Projections on Human Life
On a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon, whilst sitting at a bookstore, I began to turn the pages of Albert Camus’ “The Myth of Sisyphus.” At first, I though Camus’ writings would prove too much for me, but after a few read throughs, I found myself completely fascinated by his myth.
The Myth of Sisyphus, which is based on Greek mythology, delivers a powerful message that can be projected to various aspects of our lives. In the story, the main character Sisyphus defies the Gods and chains Death so that no human needed to die. The Gods become very angry at Sisyphus, leading them to punish him for eternity. Sisyphus would have to push a rock up a mountain, only to find that when reaching the top of this mountain, the rock would roll back down, leading the character to repeat this action continously.
Throughout his essay, Camus describes Sisyphus as the absurd hero, an individual who hates Death and leads a life of torture and complete meaninglessness. But it is in the character’s descent, to repeat his toil, that Camus is interested in. The philosopher argues that on this decent, Sisyphus realizes the extent of his reality and wretchedness, a torment that has no end. All that is left for him, all that is left in his soul, is to acknowledge his condition and the meaninglessness of his actions, leading him to achieve a state of acceptance. Or, as Camus puts it, “one must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
There are several interpretations and points of view that could be taken from this myth. Many have argued, including Camus, that Sisyphus’ torment represents the lives of factory and office workers who perform meaningless and repeated actions. Others conclude that Sisyphus illustrates the human condition, that is, the struggles that each of us have to face in our lives in order to achieve some sanity and happiness. I sympathize with both of these views and further justify on the relevance of this story.
Much like factory and office workers (which many of us are), repeated actions and behaviors often entail a large portion of our professional and personal lives. For example, my work as a movie theatre host requires me to carry trays of food and beverages up and down the stairs, often times for hours on end. This is the meaningless and absurd condition that Camus referred to in his essay. However, just as going up and down the stairs constitutes this condition, so does rolling up a rock until reaching the top of the mountain. This labor, this fundamental struggle which we partake in cannot end, for without it, one cannot take pleasure in life’s shining moments! It is by descending to push the rock up the hill again that each of us realizes that this is the life we have been given and that we cannot shy away from our obstacles. We cannot back down because there is always, always more road left to travel. We have to be as strong and resilient as Sisyphus, we have to be as willing to go ahead and journey through the toughest terrain. In that, which all of life revolves around, there is no light without darkness.
Keep on carrying that rock my friends…
