Today we find ourselves striving to find meaning in our lives by attending college, finding a career, and earning enough money to live comfortably. Some might say that this research makes life worth living. Others, like Albert Camus, argue that our life has no purpose and it is through awareness of our aimlessness that we can find meaning. With the awareness of our aimlessness, we find ourselves face to face with 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 perceived as the absurd hero. Camus talks about the ways in which Sisyphus is sentenced 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay At the beginning of the Myth of Sisyphus, there had been an abduction of Aesop's daughter, AEgina. Aesop was complaining to Sisyphus about his daughter's disappearance, when Sisyphus, who knew about the kidnapping, offered information in exchange for water. For his choice of water as a blessing, Sisyphus was punished in the underworld. Sisyphus is punished by having to push a boulder up a hill. When Sisyphus finally pushes the boulder to the top of the hill, he finds that the boulder rolls back 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 very struggle upwards is enough to fill a man's heart.” This identifies that Sisyphus finds passion in pushing the rock up the hill. Camus states that Sisyphus recognizes the futility of his duty and the certainty of his fate. Camus states that “overwhelming truths die if they are recognized.” What Camus means is that through the recognition of an overwhelming fate it is possible to overcome it. For Sisyphus, the recognition of the futility of his task is what gives meaning to his squalid existence. Because of the useless work and torture Sisyphus has to endure, he rebels against his death by asking Pluto's permission to return to Earth. Thanks to Pluto's granting of Sisyphus' request, Sisyphus was able to return to Earth. Having arrived on Earth, Camus says: “Many more years he lived 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, that act alone represented his rejection of death. Camus argues that the only way to reject death is to live. We refuse to think about our death even though it is our destiny. We may be aware of this, however, we seem busy living in the future and obsessed with our past. Camus reflects on how revolt gives us value. Therefore Sisyphus, rebelling against his own death, is valued through his awareness of it. From Camus's point of view, to live a meaningful life, we must remain aware of our destiny and at the same time reverse it. During the futile act that is Sisyphus' fate, there is a point where he becomes aware of the futility of his task. It is at the moment when he has to go down the hill that he becomes conscious. Camus states: “In each of those moments when he leaves the heights and gradually sinks towards the dens.
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