Roll on Sisyphus, and We’ll All Roll On Together
Life is going against the winds of entropy; it's about organizing and gaining ground against the second law of thermodynamics. Like Sisyphus and his rock, I, with family and friends, push on. It’s the journey, not the destination, the toiling and fellowship to rise above the fray. The living work is relentless and, at times, gratifying, for what other life can there be?
Sisyphus was a Corinthian king, described in the Iliad as the “craftiest of men,” who cheated death and extended his life. When he died of old age and crossed over to the other side, the gods punished him for acting against their will. Sisyphus was made to roll a large boulder up a mountain. When nearing the summit, the boulder would roll back down. Sisyphus had to push that rock uphill for all eternity, “and the sweat flowed down from his limbs, and dust rose up from his head” (Odyssey).
Albert Camus re-interprets the legend in his book-length essay, The Myth of Sisyphus. The gods are sure that each time Sisyphus must climb down following the fall of the rock, his “boundless grief is too heavy to bear.” The gods are convinced there is “no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.”
Despite the gods’ twisted pleasure derived from inflicting “futile suffering,” Sisyphus makes himself master of his own destiny. He changes his attitude and outlook on life. “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart,” Camus observes. “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
The gods, having never worked a day in their lives and being immortal, have no idea of the rewards and feelings of gratitude and satisfaction gained from a job well done. Good feelings are heightened when a group of individuals pull together to complete a task. Happiness goes to the victors over adversities vanquished. Overcoming challenges may, during hard times, be as straightforward as simply getting through the day and staying alive. Like Sisyphus, greet the new day with a cheer. You know what must be done. How well will you do it?
With the climate calamity, a more authoritarian government in Washington, and statesmanship and decorum nowhere to be found, there is talk of the fall of civilization and the loss of empire. The Caesars and Cleopatra lamented the fall of Rome. However, the end of the empire pleased slaves, tradesmen and Roman legionnaires sent to far-flung corners of the world. History books blame the Barbarians, who were Christian Celts that wore their hair tonsures long on top and short where the crown of thorns had rested. They preached that people should be reverenced and related to, honor nature as if it were our own body, access truth from deep within everyone, and find wisdom in all people, all cultures, and all religions.
The Dark Ages were only darkened by the loss of bling flashed by the wealthiest one percent. No longer did everything have to go to Rome, and there was free trade. Villages grew into cities, especially at the trade crossroads. Hard work paid off, and the people lived good lives.
There were little disparities for nine hundred years until the Renaissance when certain families amassed incredible wealth and power to create nations and then directed warfare to seize more land to bolster their affluence at our expense.
For Sisyphus, the struggle of ceaseless rock rolling was okay because he saw it as a small cost for a long life, well-lived. He had erred in telling the river god that he had seen Zeus carrying off Aegina. Furious about the insolence, Zeus sent Death to take Sisyphus to the Underworld. However, Sisyphus tricked and chained Death instead. While bound, all humans, including Sisyphus, were temporarily spared from death. Once freed, Death took Sisyphus to the Underworld. As planned, his wife Merope did not perform the funerary ritual for him. Sisyphus convinced Hades to let him return to the world of living to punish his wife for neglecting the funeral. Once freed, he did not return to the Underworld.
For those of us on the chain gang of the Empire, we must play the hand of life that is dwelt. Yet, we may face challenges as free as Sisyphus when we choose happiness over anger and, perhaps, whistle while we work.
When we are in nature, leaning against an old towering tree, climbing a mountain, or tacking a sailboat to windward, we are humbled by its immensity. Nature is so powerful that we will lose if we go up against it.
We thrive when we treat nature with reverence and try to act in harmony with its cycles. During the rainy season, we hold water in the ground for the following dry season. We shovel snow and clear ice during winter, tend the land in spring, and share the bounty in fall.
Like Sisyphus and Merope, we succeed by coordinating with and caring for others. Life is more meaningful and rewarding when others are lending a helping hand. Grateful fellowship is the Corinthian column of a good life.
We all strive together. Whenever the rock tumbles down, we get behind it and begin to move mountains. Working together, we thrive despite the daunting incline ahead.
