Ramblings on The Myth of Sisyphus

Discussion Group Selfie :D

The myth of Sisyphus tells of a man condemned by the gods to a ceaseless cycle of pushing a boulder up a mountain only to have it roll down once it reaches the top, follow it down and then repeat the process all over again. This fruitless, repetitive labor was seen by the gods as the worst possible punishment reserved only for the worst possible criminal and when you think about it, they’re probably right. Imagine toiling and working towards completing a certain task that yields nothing again and again and again and again for all eternity. You’re bound to lose your mind eventually.

Reflecting on the myth, the group likened Sisyphus’ eternal toiling to life outside of the university; life as part of the workforce and society because of The System. The System dictates that we as students should study hard for a college degree in order for us to be able to find a job and pay off our bills. Like Sisyphus we struggle our way up the mountain, shedding blood, sweat and tears in our jobs to reach the top only to enjoy the view for a few seconds before descending down and repeating the process all over again. The system makes it seem that we are not the masters of our own fate, that we are merely acting out a script in a play that was written for us since before we were born. Like drones from a hive, we either conform or live as an outcast.

It's depressing to realize this. It's depressing to think that we are nothing but drones. So how then do we assert our freedom in a world operating under an inescapable system? Well I look back at Sisyphus, what did he do to deserve a fate worse than death? He stood up to the gods. As a mortal he made a conscious decision - knowing full well of the consequences that may follow - to disobey the gods; to trick them and make fools out of them. Why did he do this? Was it arrogance? Folly? Foolishness? We can never know for sure. What we do know is that Sisyphus did what he did despite the consequences. That he owned up to his decisions, that he was true to himself and lived his life according to his own principles even if it earned him the ire of the gods. In a way, he's "free". Free from the expectations and prejudices of the world. Free of the judgement of mankind, free from the conventions of culture all because he woke up one day and said: "Today, I choose to be free. Let the chips fall where they may". Sisyphus, the ancient greek counterpart of Tyler Durden.

In the end, Sisyphus (and Tyler Durden) made us realize that we are all free despite the hold The System has on us. Freedom is right there for the taking, all we need to do is to reach for it. Freedom comes with responsibilities, we can choose to be free and be the masters of our own fate but there will always be consequences for our actions. To tell you the truth, absolute freedom is scary... This is why most people would rather choose safety and security over freedom, preferring to avoid the discomforts of living with the consequences of their own actions. The irony of freedom is that we are free to use it. Sisyphus and Tyler did.

Ramblings on First Philosophy

Knowledge, a word I’ve been taking for granted for as long as I can remember. What is knowledge? What does it mean to know for that matter? Descartes challenged my understanding of knowledge, challenged one of the most intrinsic elements of my life.  I don’t appreciate how this dead guy could just walk into my life, make a mess of my beliefs and leave without any answers. Anyway, Descartes asserts that all of us – every single human being – know nothing. Just like Jon Snow.

Descartes asserts that we cannot know anything with absolute certainty if it can be doubted. Right off the bat that argument already disproves most of the things I know. For example, I can argue that the sky is blue in color. Most humans would agree with me but would you believe that the human eye only has three color-receptive cones namely: Red, Green and Blue? Basically with these color receptors in our eyes, we can already perceive all the colors in the color wheel. Dogs have two color receptors, explaining why they can only see in black or white. Mantis Shrimps have 16 color receptors in their eyes. That’s 13 different spectra we cannot even begin to comprehend. So that brings doubt into my argument that the sky is blue because what if in fact, the sky is of a color our eyes cannot fully perceive? We can never know for sure. Damn you Descartes.

Ok, now let’s move away from visual perception. I can sense air and wind, those things must be real! Well, Descartes once again rains on my parade. He brings up his dream argument; he states that our dreams have the capacity to be so vivid and so lifelike that we can even experience sensations from our senses while we’re asleep. I’ve certainly experienced that. So he then asserts that if a dream can be so indistinguishable from reality to the point that even our senses can be fooled, who’s to say that we aren’t just playing out an extremely vivid dream right now? Right there, he disproves every single piece of knowledge I have that I can justify with my senses. You’re a buzz kill, you know that Descartes?

So what does Descartes leave me with? Absolutely nothing! I can’t justify anything I can perceive or experience because my senses – the primary faculties by which I interact with the world – can fool me and are therefore unreliable. It’s a joyless epiphany. To realize that the world I thought I knew could in fact just be an illusion or a construct of my subconscious mind. 

Descartes does however give us a consolation. Instead of fixating on the external world and our perception of it, he tells us to look internally; within the recesses of our mind and consciousness. There he found the one thing he could not doubt: his own existence. It’s a bit narcissistic and individualistic if you ask me cause that argument states that in this world full of false perceptions and illusions, the only thing I can know to be true is my own existence? That everyone I cherish and hold dear could quite possibly just be fractions of my own psyche given form? What a sad and lonely outlook. Regardless, I will continue to live my life to the fullest even if this is all just an illusion or a projection cause this is the life I’ve always known so why not enjoy every minute of it? Besides, I might one day wake up from this lifelike dream and discover that I’m actually an omnipotent god having a nice nap! Or a brain in a jar! Or a man-wolf hybrid holding up a shark while fighting off alien invaders!