What if the rock of Sisyphus became lighter?

Abstract

Sisyphus was born to Aeolus (the Greek god of the winds) and his wife Enarete (the progenitor of Greeks). According to Homer, Sisyphus was the wisest and craftiest of men. However, he was condemned by the Zeus (the master of Olympus) because he revealed Olympian wrongdoings. Eventually, Hades (the Greek god of the Dead) punished him with the eternal task of rolling a rock up a mountain, which, upon reaching the top, would roll down again, forcing Sisyphus to start anew. However, although temporarily, Sisyphus was allowed to take a rest during the performance of Orpheus (a legendary musician in Greek mythology). The myth of Sisyphus has become famous, and the subject of many scholarly works, including Camus's philosophical essay1 on existentialism. Camus tells us that discovering the absurdity of society is like being aware of ourselves living Sisyphus's life. From this point of view, he suggests two choices. One is to escape the absurdity by committing suicide, and the other is to find the meaning of life through the expenditure of effort, mirroring Sisyphus's sincere labor. If the rock of Sisyphus were to become lighter, what would change? We may ask whether the rock could be divided into two or more pieces, or if we could cut and chisel the rock into a small, round shape. In the former case, Sisyphus has to seek somebody else who can share ups and downs with him. However, his painful task of rolling a rock could be shared with his faithful companion. In the latter case, if there are many companions sharing the eternal task one by one, Sisyphus might enjoy more mental and physical freedom than before. For the last four years, I have been ascending the hill, pushing a rock called Korean Journal of Orthodontics (KJO) publishes good papers. with the help of the competent members of our editorial board. Additionally, I have endeavored to chisel and smoothen the rock to make it smaller and rounder. Under any circumstances, we retain the initiative in our lives. Our life will always be beautiful so long as we are alive. We recognize ourselves as living a life like Sisyphus when we encounter the absurdity of the world. Although we have faced the harsh truth, we should prepare for the future. Thus, we will equip ourselves with the opportunity to establish the KJO as an international peer-reviewed orthodontic journal.