In times such as these, with high inflation, increasing job turnover, general discontentment with wages, a mental health crisis, and all of the woes that come with the changing times, I feel like I hear the comparisons to Sisyphus’ plight – rolling the boulder uphill for eternity – all the time.
In the moment, that might seem relatable, but there are a few things to know about Sisyphus before making that comparison. As all stories of ancient Greece and the gods, there is justice being doled out in every story, so before we go tying ourselves to the plight of a character, we should take note of one thing:
Sisyphus was an asshole. A smooth-talking and outwardly polite asshole by all accounts, but an asshole nonetheless.
The first king of Ephyra; the region now known as Corinth, was an evil king who killed visitors to his land as a show of strength, which was a violation of the tradition of hospitality as laid out by the gods. He conned his way out of death – twice – including sweet-talking his way out of the underworld with a promise he’d never intended to keep. So upon his 3rd encounter with the underworld, was given the option to submit to death and live in the underworld, or take the opportunity to leave once again and live forever – IF he could roll the boulder up the track and push it out of the underworld.
… so there he is, gradually going mad, having given his boulder a name and speaking to it like it was his confidant and friend.
That latter part could maybe be compared to the concept of the ‘work family’ depending on your work place, I guess – as with the concept that Sisyphus is working towards total freedom as many of us are working toward retirement… but at the core of the story is an absolutely terrible person who placed himself, through his own deeds, in a terrible position…
… and I may or may not know you… but I don’t think that’s you.
The Conscious Pilgrim 