my husband (disgruntled corporate attorney) works among others who pride themselves on their extensive educations. they are relatively privileged people who have been showered with accolades for every achievement, from the elementary spelling bee to law school graduation. they have been told, through awards and degrees and a sweet bank account, that they are smart. they fought for the intellectual honors of elite colleges, school leadership positions, law review. they have been so very, very blessed with the opportunity to learn from the best educators in the world, to think critically, and to carry that knowledge on with them through their lives.
yet they obsess over football, american idol, and celebrities. and as happened the other day: they laugh and sneer in the break room when a bookish associate makes a reference to the "myth of sisyphus." sisyphus, who spent eternity pushing a boulder up a mountain only to see it roll down again. perhaps people who spend 12 hours a day pushing paper don't like the reminder of the ancient king who thought himself so clever, pushing his beloved boulder.
doubtful that my husband's colleagues will be reading albert camus in their spare time. camus makes the myth the basis of his essay on the fruitless search for meaning, in a world without eternal truths and where people live in denial of death. as camus writes: "the workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. but it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious."
and maybe camus is right in his final conclusion: sisyphus was happy with the mundane tasks. but it had to have been some dull and unfulfilling kind of happiness that comes from routine and the vague sense of accomplishment in a task completed. revolting against the absurdity is what is required for core happiness.
you can giggle in the break-room, or you can break free from the break-room...
those are my thoughts today.
