ADAMA, ETHIOPIA—Wegebe Tadese (62), a resident of Adama, has become a local enigma. He has dedicated the last 37 years to pushing a massive boulder up a desolate hill on the outskirts of town.
This Sisyphean task, which has resulted in numerous hospitalizations for severe back pain, exhaustion, and a peculiar incident involving a startled goat, has left both residents and government officials scratching their heads.
“It’s like this: life is meaningless, a negative.
Tadessism Concisely Summarized
But if I respond to this negativity with another negative – like pushing this rock uphill – then the negatives cancel each other out! It becomes a positive!
A meaning! Negative times negative equals positive”
While deeply flawed, his logic has garnered a small following of equally confused individuals who occasionally join him in his rock-pushing endeavors.
“We don’t understand it,” admitted one follower, “but it’s something to do, and Wegebe seems happy… well, except for the heatstroke and the goat incident.”
The “goat incident,” as it is now known, involved Mr. Tadese accidentally dislodging his boulder, which careened downhill, colliding with a nearby goatherd and his flock.
The resulting chaos left several goats with minor injuries and a newfound fear of philosophy.
Despite the setbacks and confusion, Mr. Tadese remains committed to his task.
“This is my rock,” he proclaimed, wiping sweat from his brow as he continued his uphill struggle.
“And I will push it. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but I will reach the top… or the bottom someday. It’s all rather absurd, isn’t it?” he laughed.
The local community frowned upon our reporters’ attempt to help the aging man, whom they saw as a source of tourist interest.
An anonymous source reported that many foreigners have paid to take photographs with the man.