The myth of Sisyphus seems to be an allegory favored by the mirror that reflects our lives. We know the story: Sisyphus is condemned to push a rock to the top of a mountain. It is an endless task, inevitably halted by the rock falling before reaching its goal. This torment, where the punishment boils down to eternally repeating the same overwhelming cycle, is also what we feel during the painful hours of waiting for electricity to return during the bitter moments of load shedding.
A significant part of our history is marked by the dark veil left by the regular and prolonged withdrawals of light that we derive from electricity. Sisyphus, according to the myth, suffers an unstoppable verdict of divine justice that cannot be countered. However, technical issues, as well as the economic difficulties that are at the root of load shedding, are situations where human ingenuity can intervene. What appears to be fate can still be fought through an awakening of will and responsibility.
Philosopher Hans Jonas gave posterity the principle of responsibility: using the powers that technology provides must go hand in hand with an ethics capable of anticipating the consequences of our actions on future generations. It should no longer be just about dealing with what is urgent, but about making decisions on investments and maintenance that could spare our successors from inheriting the fallout of our negligence. This is so that our society, for which the virtues of electricity have become vital needs, does not sink into social paralysis like the underground city in the film ‘City of Ember’ (G. Kenan, 2008).
Ivan Illich left us the concept of ‘Conviviality’ to describe a relationship in which we dominate and master tools and techniques, not the other way around. But when the hot season of load shedding arrives, the relationship between us and electricity reveals itself as ‘non-convivial.’ Our dependence is further exposed through the discovery of the illusion of power we thought we had: what we believed to be a tool at our service escapes our decision-making power, and its failures constantly manifest its control by dictating the rhythm of our lives.
Albert Camus, when he revisited the myth of Sisyphus, invited his readers to imagine Sisyphus happy. But for us, is it possible to find happiness in this endeavor, so far vain, of pushing the same heavy rock of the same difficulties?
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-12 05:38:34 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/les-tenebres-ordinaires.html