I’ve posted about Albert Camus’ philosophy regarding Sisyphus and how imagining him happy is a way to look at one’s own mundane, plodding life.
And I’ve also mentioned how Groundhog Day’s Phil Connors embodies Sisyphus.
Well, I recently watched a campy, but fairly endearing story that takes both of those themes and includes them in the script.
“The Map of Tiny, Perfect Things” (Amazon Prime) does a pretty good job of depicting the trope of being stuck in the same day for eternity. It may not be worth watching more than once (like Bill Murray’s film), but it’s worth at least one viewing.
What struck me, of course, is that this connection I’d made between Phil Connors being Sisyphus was one I’d shared prolly four years ago. And it was cool to see the theme exposed in a film.
Anonymole - apocryphal agitators 
I hadn’t heard of this film before, but since I love Groundhog’s Day, the Myth of Sisyphus, and YA stories, I’ll definitely check it out.
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I enjoyed it enough to prolly watch it again sometime in the next few years.
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I have a post titled “Plodding” in the can. Along the same lines. Artists pushing past time to sit down, where everything they do or redo sounds like someone has their thumb on the turntable, novels with a thin plot and too much research assistant filler. However saleable dimestore versions of philosophy are, they are also at the root of our current no history past yesterday culture. Maybe if they make one kid think or Google something beyond Marvel it’s a good thing… But do you know any attractive high schoolers these days interested in more than their reflection?
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I should have said “ever” in place of “these days”.
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Putting this on my watchlist. Thanks!
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I like the sketch! I can see the man straining, there is detail in the rock and the mountain. Well done.
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Have you read Nietzsche’s idea of the eternal return? You might like it. If you had to do it over and over again forever, how would you live?
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… hunting this down…
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Our mutual friend, Phil H. would feel at home with this quote from wikiP:
’Ecclesiastes’ of the TaNaK states: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
There is nothing new under the sun — a familiar phrase.
amor fati — love of one’s fate. Yup, that’s it, right?
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Too containered. The more plausible take is borderline existential. Nietzsche was riffing on “the meaning of life” when all of our efforts are cast upon an (apparently to “us”) indifferent and uncaring natural world. With the caveat by way of suggestion that life is worth living regardless of all it’s nuances and to embrace it and live accordingly. Accordingly – to the premise that we live it to fullest in all those nuances.
Nietzsche’s work was very “biblical” in construction, on purpose. A creative philosopher’s take on prose, poetry, religion and “the meaning of life.” Something you’ll find plenty of as “nothing new here” in Joseph Campbell’s “Myths”. All we can do is throw good intention into the cosmic stream like Pooh Sticks and hope when we run to the other side of the bridge they made some minor positive difference.
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~ hope the make a positive difference…
Even though “nothing matters” and the Universe is Absurd.
We humans will never exhaust our ability to delude ourselves into thinking we can make a difference.
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Hey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmdPY-hFSt0
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I couldn’t recall where it is from so I had to do a bit of googling. It is primarily found in the book “The Gay Science,” aphorism 341. Try looking up “eternal recurrence.”
The hell you don’t believe in froze today. Never thought I’d see Ecclesiastes quoted approvingly.
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I’m not familiar with Camus, but imagining that Sisyphus would eventually become comfortable with his situation, to the extent that any change, even a beneficial one, would stress him out, seems very plausible.
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Are you implying we’re not all stuck in the same day for eternity?
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The grey in my hair tells me my today is not my yesterday, so, I’m afraid, yes, the march to oblivion continues apace.
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I never thought of Groundhog Day’s Phil Connors as Albert Camus’ Sisyphus before.
Groundhog Day being the first movie I ever reviewed as a paid movie reviewer for a Canadian news magazine.
But now that you mention it here, a definitely strong case can be made for that comparison.
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The referenced post: https://anonymole.com/2017/05/07/bill-murray-is-sisyphus/
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Yeah, I liked this film. A young GDay. Duke
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