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The Myth of Sisyphus

Life is absurd. Or so Albert Camus thinks: it is not impossible that a man condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity could nonetheless be happy. Perhaps it is only through challenge - through the experience of life's dynamic and opposing forces - that we can create meaning. But how can we create from absurdity? What gives our meaning meaning? The answer lies in connection I think. What it means to live, is to connect. To wonder at the world, to eradicate otherness, to continually become unified. Philosophy, through my eyes, is living. It is discovering connection, and creating meaning(s). If philosophy is connection as such, it cannot be done alone. It is no armchair activity - and indeed to sit in an armchair and think is no activity at all! It is dynamic engagement with the world. Here is a space for that never-ending project. For pushing that boulder. Camus is right to highlight the possibility of Sisyphus happy despite that fate; there is no contradiction. But now imagine Sisyphus is not condemned alone (as none of us are). Imagine instead that he pushes the boulder with the help of others, and through that help, is able to move his gaze to the valley rich with life below, or to their eyes, inviting the beautiful and complex stories they have to tell. Through their help, which is as simple as their mere presence, Sisyphus is literally and metaphorically unburdened. Empathising - moving beyond himself and the meaninglessness of his task - it is not just possible to imagine him happy. It is plausible.

Let this blog echo the new tale of Sisyphus. Find here a place of ideation, creativity, collaboration, and challenge without frustration. 

Stay curious,

T