You know the story of Sisyphus?
The one where the poor man is doomed to push a boulder up a hill only to find the next day that it has rolled down. And he has to start all over again?
Ok, that is a pretty dreadful fate. You could see his perpetual struggle as being futile
Well it is…
But what if Sisyphus was actually a happy man?
The Philosopher Albert Camus thought that he was.
Because Sisyphus had a purpose
He had meaning and fulfilment, not in the outcome but in the act of struggling towards his goal.
I think there is something noble in this…
He keeps trying and in the trying he fills his day with purpose.
We are lost without purpose
One of the key things that my clients talk to me about is wanting to be purposeful
Now, I’m not sure that pushing the same rock up the same hill everyday is a great way to live…
But I kind of take the point.
Our struggles and our strivings give us a purpose
And perhaps we could be more compassionate towards ourselves and recognise that there is meaning in not giving up.
Perhaps we could even be proud of our efforts.