Like Sisyphus

I want to talk about Sisyphus, Dear Reader. Though I missed the cultural zeitgeist of the Percy Jackson books and have very little interest in Greek mythology as a whole, I find myself nonetheless fascinated by our friend the rock-pusher. Questions about him have been gnawing at my brain, and I cannot seem to silence them. Did he have hope? Did he understand the futility and absurdity of his existence? Were the parameters of his punishment clearly explained? Most importantly, was Sisyphus resigned or was he resilient?

If you will allow me to commit an essay writing sin, Dear Reader, Miriam-Webster defines Sisyphean as "requiring continual and often ineffective effort". However, the Cambridge Dictionary defines the same word as describing "a task that can never be completed". Though the two definitions are similar, I find myself grappling with the differences in their connotations. Miriam-Webster is referencing the supposed futility of the task of rolling a boulder up a hill, but Cambridge is referring only to the time frame of the task. Cambridge's definition does not acknowledge or concede that the task is meaningless. Cambridge declares the work to be unending but not unimportant, and so I must once again ask: Did Sisyphus have hope? Did he find purpose and import in his labor? Was Sisyphus determined?

I would like to posit that the semantics of Cambridge's definition are crucial. There are many tasks in my day to day life that I refer to as Sisyphean. Waking up each morning, going grocery shopping, writing emails, all of these things can feel tedious, inane, and unending. However, each eternal task I complete has import and purpose, even if it doesn't always feel that way. Sisyphean tasks, despite being hard and unglamorous, are how we survive. Every day, Sisyphus pushed his boulder, not because it was easy, but because it was necessary and important.

Yes, Dear Reader, I understand that in the original myth Sisyphus takes on this task as a punishment. He does not volunteer to do the heavy lifting, and I know this. But I ask you to put that out of your mind, if only for a moment to indulge me. I cannot help but think of Sisyphus as an inspiration, a shining example for us to follow. He is in an impossible and dreary situation, and yet he does not give up; he goes to work. Each day his work is unsuccessful, and yet he does not falter. He knows his goals and his mission, and so he continues onward undeterred. Every new sunrise is a chance to accomplish his task.

And now for the inevitable moral of this blog post that I am sure everyone has been expecting. This week, more than ever before, I must draw strength from this myth. Politically, I and many other feels exhausted, scared, and defeated. The thought of reliving 2016 is terrifying. Needing to engage with and fact check the same dystopian administration feels daunting and soul crushing. I myself spent all of November 6th in a daze, trying my best not to succumb to doom. But then I thought of Sisyphus.

The work of changing the world for the better will never end. The dream of freedom and equality will always require tweaking and revisions. The boulder will never reach the top of the hill. But that does not mean we stop trying. Today, we can be tired. We can wallow in our fears and our sadness. But tomorrow we have to try again. Like Sisyphus, we must push our boulders, armed with the knowledge that the work we do is important despite our circumstances. And the beautiful thing is that unlike Sisyphus, we are not alone in our labor. We can climb our hills together.

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And now, as a treat for reading a yet another self-important political think piece, I will reveal how I am thinly relating this back to Jessica. Well, Dear Reader, I would like to argue that Jessica Fletcher is a modern day Sisyphus.

There is one universal truth of Murder, She Wrote: Someone will die, and Jessica will solve the murder. Jessica's Sisyphean labor is a never ending string of murders and incompetent police forces. We as an audience see the absurdity of it, and I have often marveled at the strength of Jessica's constitution. Were I in her shoes, I would never leave my house. I would become a hermit, afraid that if I opened my door I would stumble upon another murder victim. And yet, despite the inevitably of death, Jessica lives. Like Sisyphus, she persists.

Jessica pushes her boulder, solves a crime, and does it again the next day without question or hesitation. And so, if during this baffling time you need someone to turn to, turn to her. As Sisyphus is my guiding light, she can be yours. When you need to rest from your uphill and never ending battles, watch an episode. Then try again tomorrow.