Of course, this is different from person to person, but for me, a lot of anxiety comes from me putting it off. I found that taking care of the shit as soon as possible gives me the time to truly chill until the next wave of shit comes.
Haha, exactly. Wasn’t Sysiphus’s story about finding joy in a never-ending, repetitive process? I’m wondering if I’ll ever reach that level of enlightenment.
The original story was intended as a depiction of a punishment. The spin of imagining him happy was Albert Camus’s contribution. Although it wasn’t quite about finding joy in a never-ending repetitive process per se, but more about finding joy in the absence of meaning. The boulder process represents the individual’s repeated, doomed efforts to find meaning, and the rolling back down is the realization that despite their efforts, there was still no meaning to be had. Yet, the human cannot resist trying again, which is clearly absurd - hence why this is called “The Absurd”. The main idea is that the struggle itself towards meaning, although absurd, is enough to make someone happy, even if meaning does not exist. I would not want to conflate that sentiment with acceptance of repetitive, dull processes in real life. Nietzsche would have a lot to say about that, and not coincidentally, Nietzsche and Camus have a lot of overlapping thinking. If you like this stuff, I’d recommend reading Camus’s The Stranger, Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and Camus’s Myth of Sisyphus.
I love that you spent the time to explain and even recommend reads. Thank you so much. I’m not the most active reader in the world but I am curious about the topic so I think I’ll start with Camus’s Stranger.
That’s definitely the best one to start with! You’re welcome and I hope you enjoy it. There’s some metaphors and moments from it that still stuck with me.
Of course, this is different from person to person, but for me, a lot of anxiety comes from me putting it off. I found that taking care of the shit as soon as possible gives me the time to truly chill until the next wave of shit comes.
The never ending chill boulder up the hill.
Haha, exactly. Wasn’t Sysiphus’s story about finding joy in a never-ending, repetitive process? I’m wondering if I’ll ever reach that level of enlightenment.
The original story was intended as a depiction of a punishment. The spin of imagining him happy was Albert Camus’s contribution. Although it wasn’t quite about finding joy in a never-ending repetitive process per se, but more about finding joy in the absence of meaning. The boulder process represents the individual’s repeated, doomed efforts to find meaning, and the rolling back down is the realization that despite their efforts, there was still no meaning to be had. Yet, the human cannot resist trying again, which is clearly absurd - hence why this is called “The Absurd”. The main idea is that the struggle itself towards meaning, although absurd, is enough to make someone happy, even if meaning does not exist. I would not want to conflate that sentiment with acceptance of repetitive, dull processes in real life. Nietzsche would have a lot to say about that, and not coincidentally, Nietzsche and Camus have a lot of overlapping thinking. If you like this stuff, I’d recommend reading Camus’s The Stranger, Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and Camus’s Myth of Sisyphus.
I love that you spent the time to explain and even recommend reads. Thank you so much. I’m not the most active reader in the world but I am curious about the topic so I think I’ll start with Camus’s Stranger.
That’s definitely the best one to start with! You’re welcome and I hope you enjoy it. There’s some metaphors and moments from it that still stuck with me.