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Are we Sisyphus?

 


Sisyphus deceived Zeus more than once. He cheated death itself. And for doing so, Zeus punished Sisyphus by making him roll a boulder up a hill over and over again just as he nears the top, he must reset the entire process. So, in the end, or lack there of, The great trickster king Sisyphus must do the same menial task for an eternity.

For as long as we can remember, humanity has always toiled endlessly, whether for themselves or for others. For survival, or for the sake of gaining leisure. The ideas of tasks can keep humanity occupied for an indefinite amount of time. And is it supposed to be that way? Well, if we live in accordance to nature, then it would only be the natural way for humans to live. 

We achieve and fail constantly. That is how we learn to improve and grow ever more wise to our nature, and the nature of those around us. The tale of Sisyphus teaches us to treat our achievements and failures as one and the same. Two sides of the same coin, they both grow from the same soil. To those possibly outside our realm of life and way of thinking, the way we progress through life like Sisyphus, could be seen as pointless and a complete exercise in futility.

Sometimes, I catch myself asking those golden questions. Why am I doing this? Why am I here? Does any of this matter, really? It can be overwhelming and saddening to think about those questions for an extended period of time. However, I also understand that sometimes, it's better to just focus on what we are doing in the present moment, rather than causing my mind to wonder where it should not. 


Continuing to do the same tasks day in and day out can be demoralizing, tedious, and can easily pull someone into sadness. How did Sisyphus feel every day when he continued his task for an eternity? It can be very easy to give up and just relent. But, even if life takes a toll on you, sometimes it's just better to keep moving, even if it's just moving a stone.


 

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