Why Should We Imagine Sisyphus Happy? Explaining Camus’ Famous Quote (Simon Lea, 4/25/26, The Collector)
Instead, we should attempt to imagine Sisyphus happy as he strolls back down the mountain, his time his own. Yes, he lives a meaningless existence in that there is nothing meaningful about endlessly repeating a pointless task that is impossible to complete. However, this means no meaning or purpose has been imposed upon him. Sisyphus has the opportunity to create meaning and make his existence meaningful. This, Camus has been arguing for previously in the essay, is a good thing and should make Sisyphus happy.
Not quite. It is the struggle to attain the god-set goal that gives life meaning. The inability to do so can be viewed as either a tragedy or a comedy. The conservative sees it as the latter. Joy in life derives from being thankful that God granted us the free will to engage in the struggle to be good.