Navigating existence #1 - How Sisyphus found contentment and how you can too
There
was once a king, called Sisyphus.
Sisyphus was kind of a dick. Mean, deceitful, murderous. You know the sort.
So, one day, Sisyphus betrays a secret – a secret that belongs to Zeus. As we all know, betraying someone’s secret is a shitty thing to do. But betraying the secret of a god? That’s downright stupid—the gods will always have their revenge. And so, Zeus orders Hades to chain Sisyphus up in the underworld with his unfeasibly strong chains.
But Sisyphus? He’s a master manipulator. He gets Hades talking and soon he’s all “I'm so trapped. These chains are unbelievable, man. I mean, even you could not escape these chains, dude.”
And Hades is like, “I could totally escape, dude!”
So Hades gets in the chains (like a fucking tool) and of course he can’t get out and Sisyphus legs it, laughing all the way.
All of which is so unbelievably hubristic that you just know Sisyphus is going to get melted by the gods.
And he does.
Sisyphus’ punishment is to spend eternity shoving a great massive boulder up a hill, only for it to roll right back down, just as he gets it to the top and for him to have to start over. Over and over and over. Forever and ever.
That’s such an unbelievably evil punishment that you find yourself almost admiring it. The utter futility of that existence is pure mental torment.
Myths do deep work.
Fast forward from whenever this story was created to the 1940s. To the philosophical movements in 20th century Europe that prove to be so singularly influential on art and culture and academia.
In 1942, Albert Camus publishes The Myth of Sisyphus, an essay in which he introduces his idea of absurdism. (You might want to take a deep breath here, because the starting proposition is a little bleak - though I find his conclusions oddly consoling).
Camus’ idea of absurdism is this: we live in a universe that is demonstrably devoid of meaning. Yet, we are compelled, driven, as human beings, to continually strive to find meaning. Fated to seek meaning where there is none. This, he says, is absurd. Irreconcilable.
Camus considers different solutions for the problem. He rejects two options: religious belief and suicide (thankfully) and advocates instead full out defiance. Instead, he proposes living life as fully as possible, as authentically as possible. Finding contentment and solace and joy in the journey, in the here and now, in the things around us... rather than looking for an ultimate meaning that does not exist.
He says…
… imagine Sisyphus smiling. Happy. Finding something in his existence to take pleasure and satisfaction in.
Loving his rock.
Next time: why are they called existentialists?
Sisyphus was kind of a dick. Mean, deceitful, murderous. You know the sort.
So, one day, Sisyphus betrays a secret – a secret that belongs to Zeus. As we all know, betraying someone’s secret is a shitty thing to do. But betraying the secret of a god? That’s downright stupid—the gods will always have their revenge. And so, Zeus orders Hades to chain Sisyphus up in the underworld with his unfeasibly strong chains.
But Sisyphus? He’s a master manipulator. He gets Hades talking and soon he’s all “I'm so trapped. These chains are unbelievable, man. I mean, even you could not escape these chains, dude.”
And Hades is like, “I could totally escape, dude!”
So Hades gets in the chains (like a fucking tool) and of course he can’t get out and Sisyphus legs it, laughing all the way.
All of which is so unbelievably hubristic that you just know Sisyphus is going to get melted by the gods.
And he does.
Sisyphus’ punishment is to spend eternity shoving a great massive boulder up a hill, only for it to roll right back down, just as he gets it to the top and for him to have to start over. Over and over and over. Forever and ever.
That’s such an unbelievably evil punishment that you find yourself almost admiring it. The utter futility of that existence is pure mental torment.
Myths do deep work.
Fast forward from whenever this story was created to the 1940s. To the philosophical movements in 20th century Europe that prove to be so singularly influential on art and culture and academia.
In 1942, Albert Camus publishes The Myth of Sisyphus, an essay in which he introduces his idea of absurdism. (You might want to take a deep breath here, because the starting proposition is a little bleak - though I find his conclusions oddly consoling).
Camus’ idea of absurdism is this: we live in a universe that is demonstrably devoid of meaning. Yet, we are compelled, driven, as human beings, to continually strive to find meaning. Fated to seek meaning where there is none. This, he says, is absurd. Irreconcilable.
Camus considers different solutions for the problem. He rejects two options: religious belief and suicide (thankfully) and advocates instead full out defiance. Instead, he proposes living life as fully as possible, as authentically as possible. Finding contentment and solace and joy in the journey, in the here and now, in the things around us... rather than looking for an ultimate meaning that does not exist.
He says…
… imagine Sisyphus smiling. Happy. Finding something in his existence to take pleasure and satisfaction in.
Loving his rock.
Next time: why are they called existentialists?
I love Camus' resolution deeply, and it's something I've always applied to my own life. As a teenager, I parted ways from the religious strictures of my upbringing, and it has always felt like a freedom. The world is so beautiful. It's its own gift. Why does it have to mean something? Can't it just be appreciated for what it is? Why do so many people have trouble creating meaning for themselves in their own lives and seek it elsewhere? These are the questions that baffle and consume me.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing start, Jo! These are going to be the highlight of the site, I can see.
"The world is so beautiful. It's its own gift."
DeleteSO much this. It's all too easy to miss all the opportunities to experience joy in our beautiful world because of focusing on the promise of some possibility of imagined joy to come.
And now I'm thinking I want to write a post on Neitzsche and true world theories...
Ooh, yes, please. I'm going to crack out my old textbooks and brain-up.
DeleteI'm still letting all this percolate into my brain. But I'm loving the notion of creating your own meaning instead of waiting for it to happen to you.
ReplyDeleteI too have a massive fondness for Camus "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
ReplyDeleteI too embrace the view that you take pleasure in the here and now although at times it's hard to remember this.
I have to say that I've had the biggest crush on Sartre and De Beauvoir since I was about 17, so I;m really looking forward to the next instalment !