A genius in his time, Albert Camus wrote one of the most powerful philosophical essays in history. The essays significance has more meaning in today’s world than ever before. Here is a brief synopsis of Albert Camus’ essay and Sisyphus’s struggle:
Camus claims that life itself is absurd. He argues there is no real meaning to life, but that does not necessarily mean suicide. To argue his point he tells the myth of Sisyphus.
According to the Greek myth, Sisyphus was punished for all eternity to roll a rock up a mountain only to have it roll back down to the bottom when he nears the top. In Albert Camus’ mind Sisyphus is the ideal absurd hero and argues his punishment is representative of the human condition: Sisyphus must for all eternity without even the slightest of hopes in achieving success. So long as he accepts that there is nothing more to life than this absurd struggle, then he can find happiness in it, says Camus.
So what does all of this mean in todays’ world? Now, more than ever, people are searching for deep meaning in their lives…trying to find that deep happiness. The current economic crisis can bring people to their knees, if they believe money causes happiness.
While I do not agree with Camus in the fact that life has no inherent meaning, I do believe that each one of us serves a purpose on this planet. Some people find this purpose/passion at a very young age, while others do not find meaning until their final days of life. One is not necessarily better than the other, because the true judgment of living a meaningful life is finding happiness in the journey. If times are challenging for you, be grateful for the parts of your life that are great, even if you don’t realize them now. Do you have your health? a good family? a loving spouse? Being grateful for what you have, will make pushing that rock up the mountain much more enjoyable.
“The struggle itself…is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” -Camus
Thank you for the lesson Sisyphus.
