Torment of Sisyphus

In looking at Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus and its responses, I found myself disagreeing with the idea that we need to find ways to make Sisyphus happy. If Sisyphus is not simply at peace, then the scenario is varied so that he is addicted to rock pushing or only realizes his purpose through pushing rocks. The need to find Sisyphus’ happiness comes from making his situation analogous to all of our situations in an absurd world. But why does Sisyphus need to be happy? Why should his eternity have meaning? To say that Sisyphus is an analogy for our own lives involves not only the mundane comparison of rock pushing to our every-day lives, but the fact that Sisyphus’ actions are mandated by gods who are angry with him and are purposely making him suffer. Why should we assume the same about our own lives? Perhaps part of the punishment is to make him despair at the absurdity of his task. We have the “escape” of suicide or dying in general (unless the afterlife is absurd as well; Sisyphus’ work takes place in Hades) but Sisyphus must go on. Whether he wills it or not, he will continue to push that rock up the hill and each time it will continue to fall down. His work will never be complete. As he walks down to find his rock again, instead of being at peace as Camus suggests, there must be the agony of having once again been so close to completing his labor. Surely, the work can not get easier the more times he does it; that would defeat the purpose of eternal struggle. But although we struggle in our lives do we go so far as to assume that life is a punishment? Perhaps if you belong to an Eastern religion and believe in karma, you feel that living means you haven’t achieved your enlightenment yet, but even here, simply being reincarnated isn’t a punishment as long as you are moving upwards on the ladder. Our lives are full of choices and variety, and as long as we are not certain that life is an absurdity, we can delude ourselves into believing in meaning. Even if there is no meaning, believing in it seems to make the absurd shrink in our perspectives. If meaning is all relative, then this is all that is necessary. If there is no meaning, big or small, are we harmed in any way by thinking there is or are we simply allowing ourselves to live as well as possible without meaning?