Reflection on Camus' myth of Sisyphus

Myth Sisyphus

The myth of Sisyphus is the ideal metaphor for Albert Camus' concept of the absurd, which he outlined in essays like "Absurd Reasoning," and "Absurd Freedom" as well as the explication of the Greek myth. Absurdity is a preoccupation for Camus, because the philosopher discovers supreme comfort and liberation in acknowledging the seeming meaningless of life. Thus, Camus finds that suicide provides "one truly serious philosophical problem," (3). There is a wry humor in the words of Camus, who speaks to the contemporary reader who finds no problem with the concept that life might actually be meaningless after all. Indeed, there is a comforting factor in the thought that life is like Sisypuhus's punishment. Searching for meaning is a futile endeavor that only causes one pain and suffering. It is the desire for truth, or for salvation, or for knowing "god" that could be the root of suffering. Camus' philosophy is refreshing, even insofar as it is not wholly unique.

The problem is not why people commit suicide when they are depressed, notes Camus, but why more people do not commit suicide knowing that it is possible life has no meaning. Camus notes that, "the meaning of life is the most urgent of questions," (4). On the surface, this statement is absurd itself. Of course the meaning of life is "the most urgent of all questions." Is there any question that people have sought to answer in their quest for science and religion? The Monty Python movie the Meaning of Life is in this sense a tribute to Camus, because they are so ultimately absurd and meaningless at the core. It is never as if Monty Python is making social commentary, or saying something meaningful about life. Especially when titling their film Meaning of Life, the creators are saying just what Camus is saying in the Myth of Sisyphus: life is too mysterious to take is seriously, so why not just laugh at it instead of stress over whether there is a God or a grand scheme. The absurdity in Monty Python comedy sketches seem like a philosophical cousin to Albert Camus.

Likewise, Camus is like a distant relative of Buddha. Buddhism asks the individual to cease striving and desiring everything and anything -- including enlightenment itself. Life is suffering, says the Buddha, a concept that clearly reflects the punishment of Sisyphus. The root cause of suffering is not in the punishment, though, it is the desire to be set free or the desire to know why the punishment was meted. Elimination of the "uselessness of suffering," as Camus puts it, is the elimination of the desire for meaning. Camus would note that Buddhism is the religion of the absurd, or a religion that acknowledges the absurd and attempts to ironically pierce through it or overcome it. With a Buddhist outlook, Sisyphus simply rolls the rock up the hill more consciously.