Sisyphean labor

Since childhood, each of us probably heard the winged expression of "Sisyphean labor." What does it mean? Who is Sisyphus and what did he have to do? Let's look into this, and at the same time remember the other phraseological units that came to us from ancient times.

In the myths of ancient Greece, there is a character like Sisyphus, who was King of Corinth. Once upon a time, Sisyphus was hilarious and humming in his magnificent palace, cunning, deceiving and twisting. His victims were earthly people who had no power over him. Once he decided that it was possible to outwit even the gods, for which he later paid a cruel price. Its history is as follows. When he realized that the god of death Tanat had come to him, Sisyphus distracted him by deception and shackled him in chains. From that moment, people ceased to die, and the gods of the realm of shadows were deprived of the gifts that living people gave them for their deceased relatives.

Zeus learned this disgrace, who was angry and sent the god of war Ares to Tanat, demanding that he be immediately released. After liberation, the god of death immediately plunged the wicked Sisyphus into his kingdom of shadows. Hades and his wife Persephone waited long for the sacred gifts from Sisyphus's wife, but all in vain, since he had warned her in advance that no one would bring gifts for him. Here again Sisyphus decided to sneak, declaring to the gods the obstinacy of his wife, who allegedly does not want to part with the riches. He promised Aida to deal with his wife, for which he needed to briefly visit the land, but he immediately promised to return back.

Terrible Hades as well as before Tanat, believed the liar and returned it to the ground. Once at home, Sisyphus called the guests and rolled a noble feast. Once again he dared to laugh at the gods. Such gods do not forgive, but the deceiver did not even want to think about it. Sisyphus was cast into the realm of shadows and received a terrible punishment as punishment. Every day from the foot of the high mountain, he was forced to roll up a huge heavy stone, but, almost reaching the top, the stone broke down. It goes on forever. Sisyphus labor is hard and useless, but such is the will of the gods. This myth can teach us a lot if you read it carefully and think it over. Before you laugh at or deceive someone, remember the Sisyphus labor - so meaningless and heavy.

Not one Sisyphus received punishment from the gods. The son of Zeus Tantalus in Hades is forced to stand in a throat in clear clear water and see before him branches with luxurious fruits. He feels terrible thirst and hunger, but bending down to take a sip of water, he sees how it goes through the earth, and stretching his hands to the fruits, he realizes that he can not reach them. These torments of Tantalus were given for ridicule and pride in relation to the gods. We must firmly remember that before you commit any act, you must think everything over. So in the work. Having undertaken the assignment, you should plan everything, so that it is not Sisyphean's work (vain and useless), but a really necessary and useful thing. By the way, the creators of PERPETUM MOBILE or perpetual motion machine, performed Sisyphean work, the meaning of which - meaningless, useless work. They were poorly acquainted with physical laws and for years invented something that can not be at all.

The phraseology of Tantalus flour has a completely different meaning. It means the closeness of something very desirable, necessary, and at the same time, the inability to possess it. We experience real Tantalus flour when we want the impossible. This often arises because we do not measure the goals and our real possibilities, afterwards experiencing mental torment. Soberly assessing the situation, success in business can always be achieved. The main thing is that what you do is useful, otherwise such work will turn into Sisyphean work, the significance of which you already know.