I...am...Sisyphus!

Now, I know that sounds like a rare sexually transmitted disease. It's not, okay?

Sisyphus is a man, who tried to bind Death with chains, and was sentenced to immortality. Part of his sentence was to push a rock up to the top of an extremely high mountain. Once the rock reached the top, it would tumble back down and Sisyphus was condemned to spend eternity pushing the rock up and down the mountain.

What strikes me interesting about this story is how similar it is to that of the gay Christian.

Here is a man, struggling with his sexual identity, going against the grain, and trying to push a rock up an unmoving mountain. The rock is the burden of pain, guilt, sorrow and fear that he is trying to get rid of. He pushes with all his might until the rock slowly starts moving up the steep side. However, once he gets to the top, right before that burden starts to be lifted, the mountain shakes and says with a sneer, "Sorry, old buddy. You've been up here so many times, ready to finally let go. But, you know what? This is how it's always been, and...I can't change it. The rock has to go back to the bottom."

Again, Sisyphus makes the long trek back to the bottom of the mountain and starts the weary journey of pushing against the rock.

Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, Sisyphus continues to make the struggle. The mountain continues to laugh. "I am never going to change. Do you think centuries of tradition can just be wiped out if I were to let the rock stay at the top? Don't even think about it."

Eventually, Sisyphus lets the mountain take it's toll on his spirit. Sisyphus stops caring about trying to get his fate overturned. He just...continues to push the rock up and down the side of the mountain because...it's all he can do.

He doesn't even realize that he has a choice.

Sisyphus doesn't even realize that all he needs to do is to stop pushing. He doesn't need to push against his struggles; just accept that they exist. He doesn't need to listen to what the mountain says; the mountain isn't God.

Sisyphus doesn't realize that the easiest way to get out of this situation is to simply...acknowledge the rock, realize that it's there, and walk away.