Sisyphus, a very shrewd character from Greek mythology can easily
be compared to the pool players of today.
Sisyphus angered the gods with his wily ways and was condemned by them, to
roll a large boulder up a hill for eternity, only to have that boulder break
away from his control, before he reached the top.
This is kind of what it is like to be a pool player. For all of the hard work that we put into pool,
we are continuously forced to go back and start again. The competent pool player learns different
ways to push the boulder up the hill only to see the task repeated over and
over. Still he soldiers on, not unlike
Sisyphus, determined to find a way to move the boulder to the top of the hill. It is a task that must provide its own
reward; that of self-satisfaction, knowing that quality effort was put forth
each and every time, despite the reality that the path of the “boulder” will regularly
be shaken from our grasp.
Most of the time, the failure is our own fault and despite
the fact that we will sometimes blame outside interference but like Sisyphus,
in our failing, we must not be deterred and must seek to learn new ways to push that boulder up the
hill in an attempt to perfect our technique.
We must strive for perfection in practice but accept the fact that
mistakes will always be made in competition.
Know the reason why you play the game and seek to have
satisfaction in the toil. Give your best
effort each and every time, even when you come to the eventual conclusion that you
will always be required to start pushing that boulder back up the hill. The summit is sometimes obtainable by
persistence and dedication but you won’t stay nearby for long unless you
remember what got you there in the first place.
“The struggle is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must assume that Sisyphus was happy.” Is it absurd to wonder if a pool player can
ever be truly happy?
JoeyA
