The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

In Greek mythology Sisyphus was the king of Ephyra. He was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity.
This myth has been the basis and metaphor for working hard. I have often felt as if my life has been spent pushing this proverbial boulder up a mountain. I wait continuously for the moment for that last flying sidekick that catapults the boulder down the other side.
That said, Camus postulates that the greater glory is in the opportunity to be pushing the boulder in the first place. Is this actually true?
As I have sat with this quandary, I would say that it is both true and false simultaneously. It is true that it is glorious to even have the opportunity to be in the position to push the boulder, to have the health and the mental acuity to push the boulder, and the will, the desire and the fortitude to know that you have what it takes to push that boulder up to the top of the mountain.
But it is false that these variables in and of themselves are wholly fulfilling because on some level it is critical to see the boulder summit the mountain and to watch it start flying down the other side, strictly based upon its own momentum.
The struggle unquestionably fills a person’s heart with joy, especially on struggles that are self-initiated and whose potential outcome will deliver life-changing results. But I disagree with Camus that the joy-filled heart of someone on that quest is sufficient all by itself. I think it is critical for anyone on a quest of this magnitude to have the satisfaction of clearing the peak of the mountain and garnering the rewards of the labor.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that this holiday weekend finds you in a joyous circumstance!😊
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