What is the meaning of life? This question had haunted me for long time and I cannot remember how many times I had searched for the answer on the internet and books. Well, I found thousands of answers but still I am not satisfied with them. And every time I failed to achieve my goals, this question come to me again, making my head whirled. Why do I have to live this life? What is the meaning after all of my efforts?
There was only a haunted void.
One day, I went to a book store and saw a book named “The myth of Sisyphus” and thought reading some Greek myths is not a bad idea. However, this book is not simply a Greek myth but a philosophical essay by Albert Camus. This book doesn’t give me the answer for question “What is the meaning of life” but I think found what I want in it … and a lot of headache as a bonus.
According to Greek myth, Sisyphus was condemned forever to roll a giant rock up a mountain only to see it roll back down to the bottom when he reaches the top. What a cruel punishment. What did he think when marching down the mountain to start this work anew? What is the motivation for him to maintain this chain of repetitive work? It is not only a physical but also a mental torture.
Somehow, Sisyphus’ punishment is representative of the human condition: he must struggle perpeptually in this meaningless work.
“Camus claims that there is a fundamental conflict between what we want from the universe and what we find in the universe. We will never find in life itself the meaning that we want to find. Either we will discover that meaning through a leap of faith, by placing our hopes in a God beyond this world, or we will conclude that life is meaningless.” And if life has no meaning, does that mean life is not worth living or there is another possibility that we can accept and live in a world devoid of meaning or purpose?
By discussing the myth of Sisyphus, he said that as long as Sisyphus accepts that there is nothing more to life than his absurd struggle, then he can find happiness in it.
Therefore, the same solution for us is that:
“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”
-- Albert Camus --
I think this is really true because I do not need to know the meaning of life to have happiness. And when I live in happiness I don’t ask myself this question.
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