Sisyphus was a Greek king, traditionally regarded as the founder of Ephyra, and a very sinful man. Evil, in fact. He cultivated a reputation for ruthlessness that his neighbors might fear him. Ephyra was named Corinth when Paul founded the Church there in the First Century, and notorious for its sinfulness then. Sisyphus would violate the Greek code of hospitality and murder his guests. When death came to capture him, he tricked death leading to disorder throughout nature. In punishment for his many appalling crimes Zeus sentenced Sisyphus in death to forever push a boulder up a mountain. On his reaching the top, the boulder would roll to the bottom and he would have to start over.
The doom of Sisyphus is a familiar one. In our politics, we focus our attentions on elections to achieve our political ends, be they harmony or lawfulness or fairness. We push that boulder up that mountain, we work against and vote against the greater evil, and then we are back to ingesting narratives at the teat of vested interests and nursing our grievances in preparation for once more reaching the mountaintop. If our heroes turn out to be flawed, don’t be surprised. They are children of Adam. How could it be any different?
Fear not. Sisyphus, the author of this blog, does not murder his guests although he is still a son of Adam. And maybe should remember more often to step out from in front the boulder before it starts back down the mountain. Sisyphus is a lay member of the LCMS and a software technologist born and raised in the DC area, he has been in Nixon’s White House and Clinton’s State Department and W’s Pentagon and learned a few things, which he humbly offers here.
Welcome, and bless you.