You know the Atlas statue? The one in front of Rockefeller Center in NYC? It’s magnificent. Cast in bronze, Atlas stands strong. Knees bent under pressure, arms spread wide, he carries the entire world on his shoulders.
The story of Atlas goes back to Greek mythology. Fun fact: He’s not actually holding the earth. He’s holding the sky, or what the Greeks called “the celestial sphere” — an orb made of a 5th element (quintessence), contained in which are all the stars.
So why does Atlas have to hold up the heavens? Well, he was on the wrong side of history. In the Titanomachy, the fight between the Titans (old gods, Cronus and friends) and Olympians (new gods, Zeus and friends), Atlas sided with the Titans — and they lost.
Most of the Titans were banished to Tartarus, the prison in the underworld, but Atlas received a special punishment: Hold up the sky for eternity.
Atlas’ story remained so popular over the next 1,500 years after its inception, a 16th century geographer titled his collection of maps “atlas” — a term we still use today, as evidenced by my very own 2002 copy of the “Diercke Weltatlas,” our cartography book in high school.
In another Atlassian reference you may not have noticed, the “Atlantic Ocean” translates to “Sea of Atlas,” and Atlantis, the fabled underwater utopia, roughly means “Atlas’ Island.” Popular guy, this Atlas!
The most impactful of pop references, however, was born in 1957, the year Ayn Rand published her magnum opus: Atlas Shrugged. This novel not only contributed to the lasting mix-up of Atlas holding the earth rather than the sky, it also asked an interesting question:
If the world gets ever heavier the more Atlas tries to push it up, what if Atlas just…shrugs?
In Rand’s book, capitalists and intellectuals stand in for Atlas: Could the planet keep spinning without them? Or would the earth fall out of its socket? That’s all well and fascinating, but what I think is even more interesting is to consider another stand-in for Atlas: You.
If you’re ever lucky enough to stand in front of that statue on a beautiful New York summer day, don’t think about its origins. Instead, think about this: What you see in front of you, that creature desperately attempting to achieve the impossible…is you. You are Atlas, my friend.
Every day, you look in the mirror and see a human struggling to carry the world on their shoulders. You see wrinkles of stress etched into your forehead, caused by your unpaid bills. You see tired eyes about to blink a thousand times more until the report for your boss is finished. You see slumped shoulders that used to sit high and mighty, and you wonder: How can those shoulders keep carrying the world?
You’re a good person. You want to be responsible. You try to fulfill all your duties. You’d love to make everybody happy, and you put yourself last in line. As grown-up as it sounds, this is no way to live.
Here’s Atlas’ statue again. Look at it. What a twist!
The photo may be shopped, but your life is not: The world was never actually there. All that weight on your shoulders? You put that there. You. It’s only in your head.
Everyone has a different cross they carry. Maybe, it’s feeling indebted to your parents, whom you now try to carry financially to the end of their days. Maybe, it’s hoping to ensure no other child will ever have to face the physical abuse you endured when you were five years old. Maybe, it’s wondering how to perpetually pay 200 people’s salaries in an industry that’s declining.
Whatever your burden, I commend you for wanting to be useful. You have my respect. Now, it’s time to let it go. Yes. Let it go.
Your purpose is not to clean up after people. It is not to save them, shelter them, or carry their torch for them. Your purpose is to be who you are.
That’s a hard task all on its own. For some, it’s impossible. In 80 years on this earth, they never get close to their authentic self. Crazy, right? How easy it is to waste an entire life away.
Do not be afraid to make yourself your first project. You’ll know when you’re done. You’ll know when you’re ready.
Balance. Stability. Fulfillment. Calm. You’ll know what these feel like. These things give you strength. They let you stand firm. Only then can you dare the impossible. Only then can you dare carry the world on your shoulders.
Until you reach the place of strength from which you can hold up the world, remember: You are not Atlas, my friend. You are free to shrug at any time — and the world will still turn tomorrow.