Mr. Eko & the Myth of Sisyphus
What a great exchange between locke and mr. eko in last night's lost.
mr. eko is compelled by a dream to "rescue" locke, who has "lost his way". the work they are doing, say the people in his dream (the recently departed ana lucia & his dead brother), is very important--the most important work there is. he must now help locke find "his question mark".
if you do not watch the show, it would help to know that locke's character believed he was brought to the island for a purpose. he talked about fate and faith and was often at odds with the more rational doctor, jack.
but now, locke has lost his way. he is questioning his purpose for being on the island...he is discouraged because things are falling apart and he is hopeless because everything he has worked for has now been revealed to be meaningless.
mr. eko tells him his life is not meaningless. his work has purpose, it brings hope. then he shares his own story and points out how locke's life is interwoven with his own (and everyone elses) and his meaning is, in part, locke's reason. he would never have found his meaning if it weren't for locke...
the myth of sisyphus is an essay by albert camus, an existentialist philosopher.
existenialists believe that "existence" is more important than "being"...or, you might say, what you do is more important than who you are. what you experience now is more important than what happens later...thus dismissing the idea of an afterlife and moral responsiblility to a greater Being...
they also generally agree that life is without meaning. i find them to be a dour bunch. but not camus, he was a little different.
sisyphus was a greek god who did something to make the other gods angry. they condemned him to push a rock up a hill for all of eternity... up he would go, straining against the weight of the rock...and each time he almost crests the hill, the weight of the rock forces the boulder back to the bottom where sisyphus must start over.
an awful existence. boring...mundane...with no hope of getting better.
gimme a bullet, will you?
camus tells us that is our life. as meaningless as sisyphus' stupid trek...up and down, up and down, up and down...why shouldn't we kill ourselves?
because we must imagine sisyphus happy. we must believe sisyphus finds meaning in his quest. we must have hope amidst the hopelessness.
i think mr. eko told us about one big reason to have this hope and meaning and happiness. we are intimately tied to one another. my life touches your life, your life touches mine and many others. my meaning is tied to yours and yours to mine and ours to everyone elses.
finding meaning in living your life for others. (oh...and not "the others")
mr. eko is compelled by a dream to "rescue" locke, who has "lost his way". the work they are doing, say the people in his dream (the recently departed ana lucia & his dead brother), is very important--the most important work there is. he must now help locke find "his question mark".
if you do not watch the show, it would help to know that locke's character believed he was brought to the island for a purpose. he talked about fate and faith and was often at odds with the more rational doctor, jack.
but now, locke has lost his way. he is questioning his purpose for being on the island...he is discouraged because things are falling apart and he is hopeless because everything he has worked for has now been revealed to be meaningless.
mr. eko tells him his life is not meaningless. his work has purpose, it brings hope. then he shares his own story and points out how locke's life is interwoven with his own (and everyone elses) and his meaning is, in part, locke's reason. he would never have found his meaning if it weren't for locke...
the myth of sisyphus is an essay by albert camus, an existentialist philosopher.
existenialists believe that "existence" is more important than "being"...or, you might say, what you do is more important than who you are. what you experience now is more important than what happens later...thus dismissing the idea of an afterlife and moral responsiblility to a greater Being...
they also generally agree that life is without meaning. i find them to be a dour bunch. but not camus, he was a little different.
sisyphus was a greek god who did something to make the other gods angry. they condemned him to push a rock up a hill for all of eternity... up he would go, straining against the weight of the rock...and each time he almost crests the hill, the weight of the rock forces the boulder back to the bottom where sisyphus must start over.
an awful existence. boring...mundane...with no hope of getting better.
gimme a bullet, will you?
camus tells us that is our life. as meaningless as sisyphus' stupid trek...up and down, up and down, up and down...why shouldn't we kill ourselves?
because we must imagine sisyphus happy. we must believe sisyphus finds meaning in his quest. we must have hope amidst the hopelessness.
i think mr. eko told us about one big reason to have this hope and meaning and happiness. we are intimately tied to one another. my life touches your life, your life touches mine and many others. my meaning is tied to yours and yours to mine and ours to everyone elses.
finding meaning in living your life for others. (oh...and not "the others")
posted by PMike. | 06:10
3 Comments:
Hmmm...Very interesting. This one lends itself to some prolonged thought.
I didn't know you watched Lost, did I?
Yes, very thought provoking!!!
Living our lives for others is a very complicated practice. It's not just unconditional love, though that is a main component, we also need to remember to be committed to do what is right according to God and that sometimes looks harsh. Remember that God called us to live for Him, lead others to Him, and exhort those who've strayed. It may seem like just another day of "boulder" pushing but keep at it according to God's direction.
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