If you rebel for a worthless cause,
if you have to be punished,
you might suffer unwillingly.— Shilashanti
Prometheus was punished,
chained to a mountain,
condemned to have his liver ripped out,
which regrows itself again and again.
Thus was his physical pain,
that of cyclical anguish.
Sisyphus was punished,
‘bound’ to a mountain,
condemned to roll a boulder up,
which tumbles down again and again.
Thus was his mental suffering,
that of cyclical toil.
Perhaps it does not make sense
to imagine the first with more pain,
to assume the latter with more suffering,
since our bodies and minds are connected,
with pain usually ‘leading’ to suffering,
and suffering usually being ‘painful.’
Such are two Greek mountain myths,
but as fantastical as they are horrendous,
are we not Prometheus and Sisyphus too,
just with our recurring pain and suffering,
more spread out and repeatedly forgotten,
with us trapped in this life, and in life after life?
But we are not tormented by Zeus,
any other unfair god or cruel demon,
for we are self-punished by our rebounding evil karmas,
which we have created and create on,
which we can repent for and break free from,
to end pointless pain and needless suffering… once and for all.
Just as most of us have already grown out of,
and have forgotten legendary gods and monsters,
we must grow out of pushing blame to others too,
to take clear stock of our state of being,
and to work towards greater well-being… for one and all.
If you rebel for a worthy cause,
even if you have to be sacrificed,
you may suffer willingly.— Shilashanti
Related Article:
A Buddhist Retells The Myth Of Sisyphus
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2018/04/a-buddhist-retells-the-myth-of-sisyphus
