|
|
Post by Rylee Wenzel on Jun 10, 2024 3:21:33 GMT
I am not much of a Mythology person so while I was familiar with the ending of this story, I did not know the whole thing. I think the depiction of a man constantly having to roll a rock up a hill, just for it to fall back down, is a representation of our lives as humans. Not to be negative about it though because as the video said, as humans we can take something mundane and meaningless, and give it meaning and purpose. Giving things meaning and purpose is how we cope with our lives, and I don't think that should be taken for granted. It's kind of like a "make the most of what you have" type thing.
|
|
|
|
Post by reluedders on Jun 10, 2024 14:07:10 GMT
I'm not really a mythology person either, but I also thought that we could gain some different knowledge from the tail. Sisyphus was always trying to get out of accepting responsibility for his actions, and in the end, had to accept punishment regardless. Maybe we could use this myth not only has a lesson in Existentialism, but also to show people that you need to take responsibility for what you do, and that you can't take the easy way out of things. He betrayed Zeus, & thought he could get out of it, but according the Greek mythology, his fate was determined by the Gods, not him, so he should've known that he wouldn't have been able to win!
|
|
|
|
Post by Dr. Nemmers on Jun 10, 2024 14:35:53 GMT
Right, and we see the tension here in your reply, Rylee--- both negative and positive, optimistic and pessimistic. One the one hand, it's a pretty dim view of human life, that all we're doing is rolling boulders up hills. But "make the most of what you have" is also a very encouraging attitude.
Wonder where we see/ will see/ have seen this sort of thing in our literature?
|
|
|
|
Post by Rylee Wenzel on Jun 12, 2024 17:23:45 GMT
In response to the first comment, I do think that is something we can take from this tale as well! No matter what we do in life, our actions have consequences; both good and bad. In life, we must always be aware of the actions we take and ultimately accept responsibility for whatever the outcome may be. I think it is important to note the fact that Sisyphus thought he could outsmart the Gods. To me, this is a very arrogant perspective. Almost like when people expect things to always go their way no matter what. When, according to some people, our fate is mostly out of our hands. Life keeps moving regardless of our opinions or how we want things to go.
|
|
|
|
Post by meagangcurrie on Jun 12, 2024 17:48:46 GMT
I suppose I cannot understand that perspective. The gods gave Sisyphus a futile task after he outsmarted them so many times. He could theoretically, “make the most of what he had”, but what was there to be made? He was constantly pushing the boulder and falling back down again. Would it be determination that keeps him going and that’s how he makes the most out of the situation?
|
|
