9/11: The Day Atlas Became Prometheus

“John Galt is Prometheus who changed his mind. After centuries of being torn by vultures in payment for having brought to men the fire of the gods, he broke his chains—and he withdrew his fire—until the day when men withdraw their vultures.” 

-Francisco d’Anconia, Atlas Shrugged

It was a few weeks ago from today that I came across “The Sphere” by Fritz Koenig in Battery Park. For me, it immediately evoked the image of the Greek Titan, Atlas. But this sculpture did not elicit positive feelings as I stood gazing at it. I noticed it was battered, tarnished, and decrepit. I was left wondering if the artist was trying to convey some sort of message? I felt it quite a poetic reference to the current state of the world and I thought, “this is what happens when Atlas shrugs: the world decays.”

A few days later, as I was strolling through Battery Park again while on my break from work, I noticed a plaque that made me realize the condition of “The Sphere” was not done so intentionally by the artist. It read:

For three decades, this sculpture stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center. Entitled "The Sphere", it was conceived by artist Fritz Koenig as a symbol of world peace. It was damaged during the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but endures as an icon of hope and the indestructible spirit of this country. The Sphere was placed here on March 11, 2002 as a temporary memorial to all who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center.

It was then that I began to realize the symbolic significance of what was left of the sculpture. September 11th, 2001 was the day the great movers of our world, the industrialists, the American worker, the keepers of our Republic, came under attack. Essentially, 9/11 was the day that Atlas became Prometheus. 

Just in the same way vultures were sent down to devour the liver of Prometheus, so too were the great airliners sent in as vultures to devour the heart, spirit, and mind of Atlas.

But Atlas did not shrug on 9/11. He had a job to do. And in all the fury of that day, life went on, and he continued to move the world. 

On this 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, take a moment to remember the fallen, the brave, and the resilient. We have them to thank for our normal lives (at least what we now consider normal).