How has the Greek myth of Sisyphus influenced the modern world?

Philosopher and author Albert Camus saw Sisyphus as a great absurd hero who loved life, hated death, and scorned the gods.  In his famous essay, "Myth of Sisyphus," Camus says that Sisyphus loved his life so much that he put Death in chains so he could live another life.  After this, he was punished by rolling a rock up a mountain, only to have it roll down again.

Camus says Sisyphus accepts his punishment, that living two lives is worth the punishment.  He even says Sisyphus is above the punishment of the gods in that he can accepts that pointless labor is absurd.  The rock is a symbol of meaningless in Sisyphus' life, and instead of the rock causing him to despair, Sisyphus learns to accept the rock's meaninglessness as part of the absurd universe.

The protagonist in Camus' novel The Stranger (written the same year, 1941, as the essay) is strikingly similar to Sisyphus.  Meursault also hates death (refuses to cry at his mother's funeral), loves life (spends the day after the funeral in the water, making love to Marie) and scorns the gods (refuses to feel guilt for his crimes).  At the end, he is beheaded--a fate similar to Sisyphus' eternal punishment--but he has no regrets (meaning he was ready to live the same life all over again).

Can you explain the "Myth of Sisyphus"?

The central idea of the "Myth of Sisyphus" is the conflict of what Camus called the 'absurd;' the conflict occurs between what we want in the universe (enlightenment, order) and what we find in the universe (abstraction, chaos).  Camus argues that just because life may have no higher purpose or calling does not mean that life is not worth living. 

Camus proposes three main ways that people can adjust their thinking to accept the absurd life.  They must revolt by not accepting any answers for the way the universe is, experience a greater freedom to think how they choose, and live passionate lives full of rich experiences.

Camus ends his discussion by giving the reader the mythological example of Sisyphus, who Camus feels is the perfect example of the struggle against the absurd.  Sisyphus was cursed to spend all eternity rolling a rock up to the top of a mountain, only to have it roll back down before he reached the summit.  Sisyphus struggles non-stop with no hope of success.  Camus suggests that as long as Sisyphus accepts that there is nothing more to life than this hopeless struggle, he may find happiness in it.