Atlas

In ancient tales, it is said that Atlas holds the heavens on his shoulders. In one story, he is approached by Hercules, who needs help in completing the eleventh of his twelve labors - stealing three golden apples of the Hesperides. Atlas is convinced by the demigod to help him. He places the heavens upon Hercules’ shoulders and ventures out to get the apples. Upon returning with the prize, Atlas realizes how nice it is to be free of his burden. He feels light and quick and does not want to hold the heavens any longer. Hercules, as sly as he is, agrees to take on the titan’s responsibility if only he could hand the heavens to Atlas for a short moment so he could adjust his cloak. Atlas agrees, and Hercules, who is now free, flees. Atlas is found a fool, once again with the weight upon his shoulders.

Now, believe it or not, we are Atlas, ever the fools, tricked into carrying burdens. Obviously, we do not carry the weight of the heavens on our shoulders, but we do have other things.

We carry the burden of lies we have told and must uphold. They weigh on our conscience. I think, at times, we become so accustomed to this that we do not even recognize or feel it. (read more about lies here)

We carry the burden of excess material belongings. They suffocate us. Our Western society puts so much value into belongings that it can be frightening to see how little you can live with. We enjoy tying memories to things and assigning a sentimental value to them. But the memory is not equal to the material possession. We shop online, thinking we need more, but we don’t. We hold on to things, thinking they’ll come in handy, yet they rarely do. There is freedom in owning little. And there is freedom in letting go of material things.

We carry the burden of wasted time. It is not that every minute must be spent in a productive manner but that we want to value our time and be intentional in how we use it. Time is the one thing we always pay for, even if we don’t use it. It’s a subscription we can’t cancel. We must use it well.

We carry the burden of procrastinated decisions. Many decisions need careful consideration. Others simply weigh on our minds even though they could be made in an instant. We pretend to be cowboys driving unmade decisions ahead of us like cattle, always hoping to find greener grass. ‘Once the plants are a bit more luscious and the water a bit fresher, then I’ll stop and make the decision’, we tell ourselves. All the while, the herd grows frail. Like a perfect pasture, a perfect time for a decision rarely comes. The key is in recognizing if the delay is due to virtuous patience or merely fear.

We carry the burden of betraying our virtue. Each action we take either confirms that we stand true to our values, morals, and faith or reminds us that we are hypocrites claiming to be more noble than we truly are. Doubt can quickly grow strong and cripple the hardiest of warriors if he ventures down a path of self-betrayal.

We carry the burden of seeking social status and caring about what others think of us. The man who yearns for social status has lost all respect for himself and can only find it by gaining respect from others. He is no different from a child. The man who cares what others think of him and alters his behavior to gain acceptance is no better. These men are not unlike cowards (read more about cowardice here). They are at constant risk of compromising their values to gain approval, becoming slaves to those they seek it from.

And so here we stand, as Atlas, with these terrible burdens upon our shoulders. And we do not need to carry them. And just like Atlas, when we try to cast them off, friends, family, society, anyone will try to become Hercules and lure us into shouldering them anew.

But we can let them fall.

We can let the weight of our lies fall by admitting guilt, correcting wrongdoings, and telling the truth.

We can let the weight of our excess material belongings fall by identifying what is necessary and removing the rest.

We can let the weight of wasted time fall by learning from the past and choosing to spend our time – or even better – investing our time wisely.

We can let the weight of procrastinated decisions fall by identifying what the driving force is. And if it is fear, we must simply choose the path that is more virtuous, honorable, and courageous.

We can let the weight of betraying our virtues fall by admitting we’ve done it in the past. Then, we must come to understand that morality is not a business decision; we must choose it, even when the outcome seems unfavorable (read more about uncompromising morality here).

We can let the weight of seeking approval fall by coming to the understanding that we answer only to God.

I believe a worthy goal in combating these burdens is this:

I lie in bed at night and reflect on my day. I meditate on my actions, my thoughts, and the posture of my heart; if I have no regrets, if my conscience is clean, and if a prayer is on my lips, it was a good day.