Myth Of Sisyphus Analysis

On Labor Day of 1971, President Nixon declared that, “The most important part of the quality of life is the quality of work,” a statement that still holds true today (Gerhard and Woolley). As reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. unemployment rate is currently at about 4.9% (Bureau of Labor Statistics). From this rate it can be reasoned that approximately 95.1% of American citizens are employed in some type of job; correspondingly, the workplace is an apex of the majority of American’s lives according to Nixon. Throughout history, it has been demonstrated that this pinnacle of society provides people with a sense of purpose. In the “Myth Of Sisyphus,” written 75 years ago, Sisyphus is condemned to endlessly pushing a boulder up a hill and watching it fall back down, which the author, a philosopher named Albert Camus, compares to the mindless and repetitive tasks imposed upon the modern workman.

This purpose should drive the American workforce, but often times workers fail to recognize it. As a result, workers lack motivation and become reluctant to trudge to work day after day to perform seemingly mindless tasks, similar to pushing the rock up the hill. “World Without Work,” an article from The Atlantic, exemplifies this theme with its startling findings that, “70% of Americans don’t feel engaged by their current job” (Thompson). Thus, the theme that I drew from these two sources is that while work provides a sense of meaning throughout one’s life, the majority of workers do not enjoy the work they carry