Doomscrolling, the Moth, and the Boulder
Someone sent me reel that said,
Q: "Do you like doomscrolling Instagram Reels?"
A: "Does Sisyphus like his boulder?"
-and you know what he said to me?
He asked if I understood this reference. I'm ashamed to say I did not, so he explained that Sisyphus was a mortal King who tried to cheat death. As a result, he was punished by Zeus and forced to roll a boulder up a hill for all of eternity. Additionally, he explained that Albert Camus, "a french guy", wrote in his essay, "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." At first it sounds a bit absurd. How could he be happy rolling a huge rock up a hill and then at the top having to start over again? This endless task begs the question "is life worth living?"
As a student, I know I'm not the only one who asks myself, what's the point in studying, what's the point in getting good grades, what's the point of going to college, what's the point of getting a job, when so much of the time it seems endlessly pointless because "we're all gonna die in the end anyway." But we are just like the moth who flapped vigorously before its end, and Sisyphus, who's found joy in the effort after accepting his struggles up the hill. Whether or not one believes a destined purpose is waiting for them, life isn't always about the outcome. Being able to beat the struggles and own the obstacles is an essential part of life. Maybe that's why some choose to continue living, continue trying, and continue to live optimistically. As for doomscrolling, it is as much as an avoidance tactic as it is our boulder.
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
- Albert Camus
I love how you connect to this idea to a story made it quite interesting to read. I also think ending with the quote was something I never think of doing and is a good way for adding in the style. This is such a great message and is written really beautifully!
ReplyDelete"Whether or not one believes a destined purpose is waiting for them, life isn't always about the outcome." was a really great line! And i do agree that as students, that question can get often trivial but at least we all are ALMOST done with junior year.
ReplyDeletehe was like youre so rude...
ReplyDeleteI really love this blog katherine, i love how u said that we "flap vigorously" LOL thats such great wroding, and finally i like that even though the premise of this blog is a little nihilistic, you still have this sense of hope.
katherine i really like ur intros, they immerse you right away and are really really fun to read. i also like when u say that life isnt always about the outcome because i feel like outcomes are what drive people to do things in the first place which is not good
ReplyDeleteWOW this is genuinely so beautiful and wholesome to read, especially that quote at the end🤌🤌 I like the creative reference to Sisyphus it’s very on point, and I love your use of parallelism, “continue living, continue trying, and continue to live optimistically”
ReplyDeleteKathy ur tuff as frick!!! This is an amazing piece and I love how you made something so mundane and connected into profound understanding. I Although we are all moths, trapped in a room, flapping your wings never goes in vain.
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