In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the first king of Corinth and also a pain in the ass. he was known for killing travellers and guests and for betraying and tricking various gods and goddesses. For these crimes, he was condemned to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill for eternity. Each time the stone approached the peak, it would always roll back down, forcing him to begin again. Thus, an endless task is often referred to as Sisyphean.
In his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus concludes
I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain! One always finds one’s burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.
But then, Camus didn’t have robots either.
