Over the Top
Solutions to the Sisyphus Dilemmas of Life
by
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Semester break at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is usually a void reserved for relaxation and maybe a few days skiing in southern Utah. Last year it was different. I was invited to New Orleans by my friend Frederick Walker for a retreat gathering of his friends, and members of his firm. Fred had been one of my best students as an undergraduate at UNLV. He thought that perhaps I could share part of my public administration thinking with his friends, as they and his legal partners examined progress in their work lives. I was quite pleased that he wanted to show-off a professor from his alma mater to his friends, and that I was that professor.
Fred made the invitation sweeter by indicating they would stay around until the start of Mardi Gras and they would also take in several restaurants and other sights, including the casino. My friend, who had done quite well with his firm, Walker and Hardcastle, Associates, rented an entire bed and breakfast on St. Charles Avenue. I looked forward to the street car rides. I was especially happy to spend a week in New Orleans as my daughter Jennifer was working with Loyola University as a Residential Life counselor. Fred told me he wanted to include Jennifer in some of the events, especially group discussions about motivation.
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About the Book
If your life feels like:
- You are going ninety miles an hour down a dead-end street...
- The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep...
- What goes up must always come down...
- You are just spinning wheels but getting nowhere...
- You are constantly reinventing the wheel...
- For each step forward you are taking two steps backwards...
- You are hitting you head against a brick wall...
- You are always going back to square one...
- You are living the definition of insanity, doing the same things over and over and expecting different results...
- You are living the gambler's prayer: "Lord, tonight let me break even, I really need the money...
- You are pushing big rocks up a mountain, only to see them roll back down again--
...then the story of Sisyphus may be your story too.
Then you should explore opportunities to break the patterns of frustration that surround so much of your existence.
In classical literature the character of Sisyphus got his "just deserts." He was a minor league trickster who played around a little too much in the big leagues. Characters the likes of Zeus and Hades did not care for the games he played, and when they finally captured him they assigned to him his fate. For eternity he would push a big rock up a mountain. However, just as he was about to reach the peak and achieve the goal of pushing the rock over the top, it would slip from his hands and roll back down. He would then have to go back down, retrieve the rock, and begin the push anew, only to realize the same results. For eternity, now, he has been pushing that rock. His story is a metaphor for modern organizational living. We are all pushing rocks. Can we achieve another result, or are we condemned to push for eternity never to achieve our goals? This book examines the Sisyphus dilemma and suggests ways of coping with our duties, achieving a contentment, but also achieving an accomplishment of results--seeing the rock go over the top. And CELEBRATING our victories small and large.
About the Author
William N. Thompson is a professor of public administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Thompson received his undergraduate education at Michigan State University, and his doctoral studies were completed at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1972. His degrees are in political science. He is a widely recognized authority on the gambling industry worldwide. His seven previous books examine public policy pertaining to as well as operational aspects of gambling. His research endeavors have taken him to over 500 casinos on five continents. He has also been a consultant for numerous casinos including ones on Native American lands. Additionally, he has advised governments and citizens' groups on issues in this field.
Bradley Lawder Kenny is a practicing attorney in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is licensed to practice in Nevada courts as well as the U.S. District Court in Nevada and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorney Kenny received his bachelor's degree from Eureka College in Illinois. His Juris Doctor degree was granted by Loyola University in New Orleans in 1993. He also attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for postgraduate work in economics. Kenny currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Clark County Bar Association and as a member of the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association. Over The Top is his first book.