Download Why does Camus suggest at the end of his essay that “one must

1. Why does Camus suggest at the end of his essay that “one must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
? How could someone enslaved to repeat the same task for eternity be happy?
2.
In his philosophy of Absurdism Camus conveys that there are two escapes from the misery of
understanding that life itself is an absurd prospect…. Our connection to the natural world and our
personal relationships with one another. Where do these escapes make themselves present in the
essay?
3.
How does Camus believe that happiness and the absurd are related? Do you agree with him?
4.
What is Camus’ opinion of the working class? How does that play into the idea that life is an
absurd journey? Do you agree with him?
5.
What were your general thoughts on the essay? Did you find it difficult to follow? Why? Have
you ever felt like Sisyphus, completing seemingly mindless tasks over and over again and getting
nowhere? If you did how did that make you feel?
The most important philosophical question is whether or not to commit suicide. All other philosophical
questions come after an answer to this one, and this can be seen by the very actions of people. No one
has ever died for some abstract metaphysical question, but many people give up their lives over
philosophical questions about the very meaning of life, and, therefore, it is the most important subject.
The question of the meaning of life is implicitly connected with the question of suicide, as it is often
assumed that if life has no meaning, then it is not worth living
For the absurd man, life is lived without regard for the eternal. The value of one's life is contained
entirely in one's lifetime. No ethical system binds the absurd man, but this does not mean that absurd
man must live totally immorally. Rather, he may choose to live a life that others would consider upright
or moral, since such virtue is an experience just like any other experience. Thus, there are many ways to
live one's life, and no way of living is better than another, so long as one remains conscious of the
absurdity of the world.
To live like Don Juan is one way of living an absurd life. For Don Juan, the basic motive for all actions is
the satisfaction of every pleasure,
Sisyphus' condition as a metaphor for humanity in general. Furthermore his happiness is not just in that
instant of release from struggle (as it is with most of us when we avoid pain and replace it with
pleasure), but is an ongoing state. This is more than a mere stoic acceptance, or temporary release from
existential angst, but rather a transcendence from our normal attachments and aversions. Instead of
resenting the struggle of the uphill climb, Sisyphus achieves a state of equanimity with his lot, whether
that's pushing the stone uphill, or letting it roll back down. He's no longer limited to making value
judgements about his experience based on these absurd, external conditions, as from a transcendent
perspective they're all the same.
The implication is that this applies to all of us too. The intolerable cycle of suffering in samsara is not
inevitable. The ultimate moment of happiness is right here and now in the present, and is always with us
regardless of the absurd external conditions of our lives.
The absurdest Sisyphus would recognize this moment as his ultimate moment of happiness. It is the
longest amount of time until he has to push the stone back up the hill. Hes far above the fiery depths of
hell and the moonlight shines down upon him. For just a second he feels human. This one moment gives
him strength and with it he can survive anything.