A Reflection on the Myth of Sisyphus

Sisyphus was the founder and King of Corinth, and was known as the most cunning, deceitful, and trickiest man on earth. At his death, he tried to garner eternal life by tricking Hades, the god of death, and Persephone, the Queen of Death to avoid reaching the underworld. Sisyphus was eventually sent to the underworld and severely punished. He was condemned to an eternity of hard and frustrating labor. His task was to roll a great boulder to the top of a hill, but every time, after great exertion, he got to the top, the rock would roll back down again, and he would have repeat the process. This cycle of rolling the rock up the hill would be repeated for eternity.

In reflecting upon our own lives we determine that each of us has a rock to bear. We hear it all the time in phrases such as, “we all have our own cross to bear” and “we all have our row to hoe”. Thus, in real life our fate is similarly linked to that which Sisyphus suffers for eternity in the underworld. Unlike Sisyphus’ however, our struggle in life is multi-faceted. We must contend with and manage several different rocks at the same time. These rocks include, but are not limited to going to school, working, raising a family, paying the bills and in general doing the things that bring order to our lives. These repetitive tasks require constant vigilance and last a lifetime.

Hence our lives are essentially no better than Sisyphus’, but for us there are comforts and rewards to be derived from these repetitive tasks. Our spirituality affords us the belief that our lives are worthwhile even as we toil and push our several rocks. Undoubtedly, Sisyphus must often pause to consider his eternal task just as we mortals contemplate our fate. However, even though our lives are enriched and we attain satisfaction upon achieving a task, getting our rock to the top of the hill, there is yet another rock waiting for us. Thus life is a series of repetitive