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Comment by throw0101a | Hacker News Reader

Sisyphus may disagree. :)

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus

The horrifying aspect of Sisyphus is that he is doomed to do it for all eternity. Whereas we have only a limited time to cherish or despise every carpet vacuumed until we die. I believe that we transcend the mundane every time we embrace it and truly live it instead of wishing desperately to be doing something else.

I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain. One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

Albert Camus

Hah. I only ever encountered the last sentence of that quote and I thought it was an imperative.

Yup, every time I have some horrible/menial/stressful task to complete, I think "I appreciate the opportunity to even experience this moment and witness the dream of existence". I mean, maybe not with that wording, but that approximate sentiment of, I get to exist and experience all that entails, and I can appreciate it even if is "not enjoyable" at that moment. Of course that only really works for things that aren't truly terrible, but I think in general it's a good perspective to take!

If I was Sisyphus and got the boulder to the top, I would push it back down myself.

I'm going to die eventually, so is it futile to exercise everyday, to learn, to try and be a better person? I don't think so, but all of those things are journeys that never end and require many mundane tasks.

> I'm going to die eventually, so is it futile to exercise everyday, to learn, to try and be a better person?

Many repetitive activities end up having a practical purpose: as someone who does strength training I know about sets and reps and lifting heavy things. But that gives me strength for everyday things.

But the point of giving Sisyphus that task is precisely because it is pointless. Sisyphus isn't doing anything with his existence except that task.

> If I was Sisyphus and got the boulder to the top, I would push it back down myself.

I'm really loving this quote, definitely using it at some point.

In all fairness I think I first heard it here.

https://youtu.be/7qNGWjDzxpQ

I like the "Discipline is Freedom" on that guy's t-shirt. Its arguable, but its deep.

The person talking in the video is Jocko Willink [1]. He's written quite a few books, one of which is entitled "Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual"[2]. His whole concept is that increasing your discipline leads to more freedom.

How can one be free when they are a slave to their discipline? A great example is time, everyone wants more of it. The way to get more time is to not waste time. Being discipline with ones time is how not to waste it.

I'm far from the most disciplined person (practicing discipline is pushing the rock), but in the ~2 years since I really put more discipline in place it has changed me as a person. Highly recommended.

[1] He has podcasts, and many books. I suggest listening to Tim Ferris when Jocko was on as an intro.

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Discipline-Equals-Freedom-Field-Manua...

One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

I wonder if sadistic Zeus would sometimes not give him a boulder to push for a day or two.

I think the catch there is that Zeus doesn't imagine Sisyphus happy.

The double catch is that neither Zeus's nor Sisyphus's state of mind matter, skipping a day or two is detrimental to both the good and the bad interpretation. If Sisyphus is unhappy pushing a rock every day (the first level interpretation) taking it away gives false hope and fosters doubt. If Sisyphus becomes happy or fulfilled pushing the rock, taking it away temporarily removes that satisfaction and again leads to doubt.

In other words, arbitrary and random work, putting someone in an uncertain and unpredictable situation is worse than constant and well-defined work.

Your reference is outdated :P https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7E-ttJpJ7Q

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