Bitesize Mythology Channel: https://youtube.com/@bitesizemythology Albert Camus wrote the phrase “one must imagine Sisyphus happy” in his essay “The Myth of Sisyphus.” In the essay, Camus uses the Greek myth of Sisyphus as a metaphor for the human condition. In the myth, Sisyphus is condemned by the gods to roll a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down when it nears the top, forcing him to repeat this task for all eternity. Camus saw this as a metaphor for the repetitive and seemingly meaningless tasks that make up most of our lives. However, Camus also suggests that there’s a kind of freedom in Sisyphus’s situation. Even though Sisyphus’s labor is futile and eternal, he is aware of his predicament. He knows the boulder will roll back down and he’ll have to start over, but he continues to push the boulder anyway. In doing so, Sisyphus asserts his agency and finds a kind of satisfaction in his task. So when Camus writes “one must imagine Sisyphus happy,” he is suggesting that despite the apparent meaninglessness of life (the “absurdity” of existence), we can still find contentment. By fully accepting and embracing the absurdity of life, we can live with passion and authenticity, taking joy in the struggle itself and the freedom to continue in spite of it. In other words, Camus suggests that we can create our own meaning and find happiness in the act of living itself, no matter how futile or repetitive our tasks may seem. If you want to learn more about Sisyphus and other characters from mythology please check out our sister channel Bitesize Mythology.
