“The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.”

I think the temporal being man is a social animal with a need to exert effort. Futile and hopeless labor is better than the alternative (stagnation, atrophy, etc.)

Solidarity born out of chains. Absurdity and death, never agree to their terms. The question of value. Solidarity born of virtues, rebellion, man surpassing himself, for the sacred cause of Liberty. A just cause. Metaphysical.

"Hopeless labor" ? No .. just a recognition that "what goes up comes down," that "if you don't like the situation, wait a minute; it'll change," etc.

Interesting, ( 9:11 ) A stich in time saves nine, a wake up call for the entire world !! But most especially for those partakers of the Covenants of Promise ! 9th bk NT, 9:11, 22bk, OT 1:9,11. 2:9:11. 4:9,11. 5:9:11. 7:9,11. ( Gen 9:11 )
The wake up call. Notice the little " g " gods appear.
Semper Fi 13:07. 9:11, 2015

It is worth repeating:"especially for those partakers of the Covenants of Promise"

Interesting. Dogs gotta dig, and cats gotta scratch -- what do humans gotta do? ;-) How futile are the lives and labors of all humanity? Of all the animal kingdom? For what purpose a dandelion with deep roots -- it can do nothing but bloom.

Nothing is futile -- we bring meaning to our labors, not the other way around. Sisyphus was only cursed for not giving purpose to his labors -- he could have been singing, or even polishing the stone, or gilding his eternal path. The last of freedoms is the freedom to choose one's outlook.