“[…] At which point Sisyphus, weary of the burden imposed on him by a centralized, elitist pantheon of self-styled ‘Gods,’ changed his fate by finding a willing masochist to assume his unending task—spreading happiness on two fronts and signalling a victory for the free market over the tyranny of an artificial ‘fate’ henceforth shown to be illusory.”
— from “The Myth of Sisyphus”
But what does the boulder think of all this?
Sisyphus doesn’t care. He’s an Objectivist.
Who took on that up-and-down role?
The revised version brought a tear to my eye.
But does he have to be an Objectivist? Can’t he subscribe to a kind of praxeological Misesian/Hoppean subjective-value marginalist theory instead?
It gets the story to the same place, and makes Sisyphus much more likable.
If Sisyphus were an Objectivist:
Gods: You must roll this rock up and down this mountain. For eternity.
Sisyphus: And by what claim do you have on my life, that you can order me around? I swear by my life and by my love of it, that I will never submit to perform your rock-task, nor do I expect you to do anything for me. Bitches. <em>(He said, his austere gaunt frame defiant, his perfect blond locks standing majestically against the wind.)
Isn’t it just beautiful when a willing buyer and a willing seller of lobor come together?
I posted this on Kate’s Canadian blog, and it would seem, judging by their collective silence, that the Canucks are either mystified awed by market solutions.
Or maybe it’s just boulders that has ‘em all flummoxed.
But I thought Sisyphus loved his rock. If that isn’t just like a capitalist libertarian whoring out the thing he loves for few shekels.
Maybe if it was a goalie trying to keep an eternal stream of pucks out of the net instead of boulders.
Can I pay some one to take the test for me that is surely coming after all this edumacational stuff?
I had Sisyphus once, took about a week to get rid of it…
Well, there’s a little poetry afoot, or aboulder…
Sysiphus apparently needed a hockey stick. No reason not to have a Canadian version of the revision, eh?
Sounds like Sisyphus got some advice from Tom Sawyer.
Oh, and thanks for the clue on how I might separate myself from my blog.
Maman’s glaucoma acted up today, so she smoked some grass.
Perhaps the Canadians were contemplating the possibility of the boulder acidentally rolling over his foot, and the horror that would ensue in the absence of a single-payer medical system in Ancient Greece.
CraigC,
LOL.. it has nothing to do with that, look for flag burnings and upside down maple laughs tomorrow in the news.
Were all really pissed up here(in the west), and it may get fun… Canada SUCKS!!
P.S. – you can take the CDN medical system and shove it up the left wing ass down there, it don’t work. 1 year waiting lists etc., etc..
Schrodinger: “Goddammit Sisyphus, would you PLEASE get in the box! No, you may NOT take your cat with you!”
What do Eskimos get from rubbing noses?
Sniffalus.