As I labor to work myself out of the current economic hole that my own decisions along with the economy has gotten me into, I reflected on the motivation for my hard work. After contemplating my condition for a while I come smack up against Sisyphus and the Apostle Paul. Interesting juxtaposition you say. Let me explain.
The root of the Sisyphean myth is punishment for not conforming to the will of the gods. Because of his offenses and his equally problematic disdaining of the gods, Sisyphus was given an unspeakable penalty in which the whole of his being was exerted toward accomplishing nothing; he was condemned to roll a massive rock up a hill in the underworld only to have it roll back down forcing him to start over. Both his toil and existence had no ultimate meaning. I have, after long years of arguing with myself decided that all those who pursue materialism and unbelief are like Sisyphus, toiling and striving to no meaning.