#sysiphus

I'd like to argue that one must imagine Atlas cares for us all.

Atlas, the Titan who was punished for defiance of the Gods, was forced to take on four of his usurped brother's duties by holding the sky above the ground.

The sky crushes him every day, never giving him a break, never letting him rest. He's in pain every waking moment of his life, and he's unable to sleep.

Atlas has met very few humans. His one attempt at escape was foiled by his empathy for trying to trick Heracles into taking his place. Had he not given Heracles 5 minutes to "adjust his position," Atlas would have been free. Despite this, he holds the sky.

Atlas could certainly let the sky fall. The world would be darkened, life would get squashed, an extinction would begin, and he would be first. What issue does he have with this? His life is pain, his future worse than his present, his days monotonous with suffering.

He has no real reason to keep his position, for he has no reason to love nor live life. If it isn't his life he loves, it must be another. All the living things under his protection must matter to him. All of us must be considered more valuable to him than his pleasure of release.

holy shit!!