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  • Essay / Albert Camus' idea that life has no meaning in "The Myth of Sisyphus"

    Today we strive to find meaning in our lives by attending college, finding a career and earning enough money to live comfortably. Some may say that life is worth living because of this research. Others, like Albert Camus, argue that our lives have no purpose and that it is through awareness of our lack of purpose that we can find meaning. Through our awareness of our lack of purpose, we find ourselves facing the absurd. Three consequences arise from this meeting. Camus identifies these consequences as revolt, freedom and passion. In Camus' story, The Myth of Sisyphus, Sisyphus is condemned to useless labor, rebels against his own death and is seen as the absurd hero. Camus talks about how Sisyphus is condemned to punishment because he chose life over death. When Sisyphus takes the side of life, he finds himself condemned to useless work. Sisyphus is used as a representation of the human condition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay At the beginning of The Myth of Sisyphus, there had been a kidnapping of Aesop's daughter, Aegina. Aesop was complaining to Sisyphus about the disappearance of his daughter, when Sisyphus, who knew of the kidnapping, offered him information in exchange for water. By choosing water as his blessing, Sisyphus was punished in the underworld. Sisyphus is punished by having to push a rock up a hill. When Sisyphus finally pushes the rock to the top of the hill, he finds that the rock rolls back down to where it started. At this point, Sisyphus goes back down the hill to repeat the process of pushing the boulder up the hill. Camus reflects: “The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.” This indicates that Sisyphus finds his passion in pushing the rock up the hill. Camus claims that Sisyphus recognizes the futility of his duty and the certainty of his fate. Camus states that “overwhelming truths perish for lack of recognition.” What Camus means is that by recognizing an overwhelming destiny, we can overcome that destiny. For Sisyphus, the recognition of the futility of his task is what gives meaning to his dark existence. Due to the futile labor and torture Sisyphus must endure, he rebels against his death by asking Pluto for permission to return to Earth. Thanks to Pluto's fulfillment of Sisyphus' request, Sisyphus was able to return to Earth. Upon arriving on Earth, Camus said: “He lived for many more years facing the curve of the gulf, the sparkling sea and the smiles of the earth.” Sisyphus rebelled against his death by fleeing to continue living. When the gods find him, they immediately take him to the underworld and impose his fate on him. Although Sisyphus' return to Earth was not very long, this act alone constituted his refusal of death. Camus says that the only way to refuse death is to live. We refuse to think about our death even if it is our destiny. We may be aware of it, but we seem busy living in the future and obsessed with our past. Camus reflects on how revolt gives us value. Thus, through Sisyphus revolting against his death, he is given value through awareness of it. From Camus' point of view, to live a meaningful life, we must remain aware of our destiny while rebelling against it. During the futile act that is Sisyphus's destiny, there is a moment when he realizes the futility of his task. It's when he has to go down the hill that he becomes conscious. Camus declares: “In each of these moments when he.