Greer 

Father Kevin Sandberg
Moreau
3 December 2021
Archimedes to Me: Move the World
	Three centuries before Christ’s birth, Archimedes stated, “Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world.” This statement, over three thousand years later, still speaks to essential components of life that aspiring leaders would relate to. Within this paper I will evaluate this quote and how I see it in relation to my life. I will give context to who I am, who I have been, and who I hope to become.
Earlier this year, I wrote a poem describing where I’m from. I opened this poem with the statement, “I’m from the place with the lights on the bridge” (Week 6). To me, this line has multiple layers of meaning. The lights show how people and events from my past have signaled me towards my current path. The idea that one of the most memorable landmarks from my hometown is a bridge also speaks to how often I was looking for a way out. While my home was great in comparison to other situations that I have heard stories about, I became very aware that my family, friends, and community were far too toxic for me to continue living with them. I felt as if I was corroding and my environment was anything but a healing one. “We each doubt ourselves privately, but believe we are alone in thinking that way,” (Elizabeth Cox, Week 9). I was broken and felt as if there was no place for me to go to for safety. The lights on the bridge were symbolic of a departure guided by hope, but bridges go both ways, meaning my connection was not fully lost. Where I’m from can never change, and I will always have a bond with Baton Rouge, but as I lived there I often felt unbalanced, and I left in search of a place to stand.
Give me a place to stand. Something that I find beautiful in Archimedes’ quote is how many different ways it can be interpreted. The current place that I stand is The University of Notre Dame. By simply attending this university, a number of opportunities have already been presented to me that others have not been afforded. The institution of Notre Dame has respect across the world and as I advance from my education into the real world I have no doubt that my placement at Notre Dame will be essential to my success in whatever field I go into.
Something that Notre Dame has already provided me with is people to stand with. Since arriving at the University I have grown closer to some of my peers than I ever have before. “The best kind of friendships are the ones where you leave with a smile on your face, knowing you’re both growing to be better people and that you’re helping each other get there” (Week 4). I genuinely believe that I have made friends who will be with me my whole life. We stand together and lift each other to our feet whenever someone is down. I am incredibly grateful to be surrounded by people who make an effort to know me on a deep level. These close friends make me a better person every day that I grow closer to them.
Give me something to stand for. Along with the platform on which I hope to impact the world positively, and the individuals who I will meet along the way who I will work with to do so, I must stand for and stand up for something in my life. I hope that when people think of me, I represent attributes of love and kindness. I hope to stand up with those in need of help. “We cannot love the God who we do not see if we don’t love the brother who we do see” (Week 5). In the same way that I hope to love God through love of neighbor, I also strive to represent to the best of my ability, a Christ-like approach, no matter how unattainable it may be.
Where will I stand? As far as what platform I will stand on in the future as I attempt to make my impact on the world, I am uncertain. Part of my journey while on Notre Dame’s campus is to find the next step. I have no doubt that the university, the skills and the opportunities that it will present to me will help me to be placed in the right spot for my future.
What is my lever? I believe that there are a number of tools that I have been provided with that I can hopefully use to better the world. I believe that God has provided me with natural gifts so that I can use them for the common good. I believe that I have been given gifts of intelligence and opportunities to grow through my education. I believe that I have strong relationship skills and I am only improving in this area of my life. I believe that I have been given skills that promote unity and communication between opposing parties. It is my responsibility to make use of the tools and opportunities that I have been provided with.
I will move the whole world. I believe that this claim may come off as more arrogant than it is in reality. As I have highlighted previously, both the ground that I stand on and the skills I’ve been granted are God-given and helped along by my peers and mentors. If I were to not make use of the gifts and opportunities presented to me that would be irresponsible and morally wrong. I believe that as long as if I can increase the level of good within the world I should. There is a well known quote from Uncle Ben to Peter Parker in the Spiderman comics, “With great power comes great responsibility.” I believe that every person has great power and it is the responsibility of each individual to discern what the right path for them is to use their power. 
Let’s move the world. I think that the idea of moving the whole world presented by Archimedes is overly individualistic, likely in order to maintain the simplicity of his statement. As I’ve mentioned previously I plan to stand with others in order to move the whole world, and I also believe that part of moving the whole world occurs through chain reaction. The growth of the world can only happen through community collaboration and efforts to improve. While one individual cannot be solely responsible for great impacts, that does not diminish the good that a person can do. I hope that by the end of my life I have made a great impact in the way that I was intended to. 
 “Our lives are not our resumes.” (Week 5). Often it is easy to think about our ideal futures in terms of jobs and measurable goals being achieved, but as it comes to moving the world, I think that this cannot come without the development of Christ-like virtues within me. There have been terrible men who were given a platform, skills, and were able to move the world in a negative direction. I hope to lead toward good. I hope to ask questions and learn what I can while accepting I won’t know everything. I hope to take risks in order to capitalize on opportunity. I hope to love those around me and hope to improve the lives of others. I hope to move the world.