On Gordian Knots – A Review
I’ve always had a strange fascination with untangling knots. Jewelry, wires, string, whatever it is, if it’s knotted. Let me at it.
I’ve been fond of those “background brain” activities for as long as I remember. The things that you can do that aren’t completely mindless, but definitely don’t require much real thought to it. Think, doing the dishes or folding laundry. Something that can be done while watching TV or jamming out to your indie punk rock playlist you’ve been curating.
But nothing, in my opinion, beats a tangled knotty mess. Which is why I’ve got a bone to pick with Alexander the Great.
The Gordian Knot is a “legend,” that tells the story of a big ol’ mess of rope that Midas used to tie to an Ox cart to a hitching post in honor of his father, Gordias. When Midas tied the knots, he layered several upon several knots on top of one another. It was fastened so tightly that you couldn’t even see where it began.
The knot allegedly sat there for 1,200 years, until Alexander the Great came upon it during his quest to conquer, well you know… the world?
An oracle had stated that the man who untangles the knot would become the ruler of all of Asia. So, in one version of the story, Alex took the ball of twine, chucked it up like he was serving himself a baseball pitch and sliced it in half.
Of course, since this allegedly happened in the 4th Century. There are differing accounts that suggest that Allie the G. just pulled the rope off the pole and the Ox cart, and that made it extremely easy to untangle.
“Cutting the Gordian Knot” is now a common metaphor for taking an intricate problem and making it simple. Usually by going around the intended restrictions or seeing through a “false dilemma.”
Some people even conflate “untangling the Gordian Knot” with doing the impossible. But, those people never saw me with a par of headphones that have been loose in my pocket all day.
What this fable is most frequently, is a lesson in Alexander’s character. He was famous for his intelligence and his ability to reason. It didn’t matter if the problem was new, like conquering an entire continent or old like untying some ancient rope, Alexander would find a solution that fit him.
But I think the legend also manages to carry several important morals, the most important being not to pigeonhole yourself.
Pigeonholing of course comes from an extensive myth that deals with… Alright alright, I’ll stop.
But, while I think the concept of thinking through a problem is important, and that novel ways around seriously difficult tasks are useful, there are plenty of times where you don’t get to outsmart the problem or the question.
It’s like would you rather questions. You’re meant to suffer the dilemma of either sharks for hands or sharks for feet, not some weird scenario where you manage to become a double amputee who gets newly developed robot legs.
There is some difficulty to finding that balance. To knowing when you can get clever and knowing when you need to buckle down and fold some laundry.
But in finding that balance, you can acknowledge that sharks for feet is the definitive best option.
Keep on your toes (fins?) and have a great rest of your week.
