Greek mythology for some of today's problems

What we can learn from Sisyphus and his rock.

Let me start with a small introduction on Sisyphus. Sisyphus was a cruel Greek king who was punished to push a large rock up on a steep hill, only to find it rolling back on nearing the top. Ever since, he has been known for pushing the rock tirelessly till eternity. Honestly, when I read about his story, I didn’t quite understand what was so special about it that it is referred by so many people until I read some excerpts from Albert Camus’ book on the ‘Myth of Sisyphus’

Camus imagined Sisyphus smiling while pushing the rock and embracing his situation without thinking of the past or the future. His take on Sisyphus’ situation was unique and somehow the whole view of Sisyphus pushing the rock uphill changed for me.

Sisyphus was unstoppable, he pushed the rock unabated every time it rolled down. He refused to surrender to gravity.

Pushing the rock was Sisyphus’ purpose, and no matter how evil he was, he is still remembered for his labor towards his purpose. Without the rock, or the effort, he won’t have been a topic of anyone’s discussion.

We are all modern day Sisyphus, we work tirelessly day in and day out. However there is something which we can learn from his story and implement in our lives.

We must learn to embrace our purpose(the rock) in life. And once we accept it as the objective of our being, we should give in everything it takes to achieve it. Sisyphus teaches us to never give in to circumstantial disappointments or try to escape from the failures, rather accept failures the same way we accept our achievements.

And most importantly, no matter how much we lose in our quest, we must never back down till we fulfill our potential.

While Sisyphus was punished for his cruel deeds, we aren’t. And that’s what will bring difference in outcomes we get when we give our blood and sweat into our tasks.

Embrace the rock. Be persistent. Work hard. Never give up.

And be thankful for the journey.

[fauxartist]

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos was the founder and king of Ephyra. Zeus punished him for cheating death twice by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity. Through the classical influence on modern culture, tasks that are both laborious and futile are therefore described as Sisyphean.

Your analogy is concurrent with an old Japanese saying that another had posted here a few days ago, which I have always adhered to in my own life;' Fall down seven times and get up eight'...

I think survival has been my driving force mostly, and the ability to eventually get back up and learn from my mistakes, and not really see mistakes other than opportunities to learn from. Contemplation, acceptance that we cannot change things or others, but can change how we choose to deal with situations in life also help me.