The legend of the Gordian knot

1 The origin of the Gordian knot. (1)

In the city of Gordion, on the Anatolian peninsula, before Phrygia, in present-day Turkey, there was once a king who died without offspring. To resolve the succession to the throne, consulted the oracle of the temple, which indicated that they had to crown king, the first man who came to the temple and it would do so mounted on a car pulled by oxen in which a raven would have posed .

This happened and a peasant named Gordias was that man.

Gordias was crowned king, and, in gratitude, offered his cart to the god Zeus . The cart and yoke of the oxen were tied to one of the columns of the temple with a rope that was knotted in a specially convoluted way. In that knot, you could not see the ends or ends of the rope, which was very difficult to know how the knot was made.

The oracle of the city later predicted that whoever untied the Knot would be the owner of the whole East.

Four centuries later, Alexander the Great, in the middle of the war of expansion towards the East, went through Gordion and the priests of the temple challenged him to solve the problem. Given its complexity, none of the numerous opponents to untie it, had achieved it before.

Alejandro tried and could not. Then, aware of the danger he was doomed to (2) he drew his sword and cut it off with a cut saying instantly: - "It both mounts (it is the same thing) to cut it as to untie it" (3), thinking that the prophecy of the oracle it would be fulfilled in his favor.

History tells us that, indeed, Alexander went, from victory to victory, to the very doors of India.

Like all stories, this too can be read in many ways but I want to use it to point out that in some cases we are faced with situations with difficult solution or outcome; to situations that we can not resolve in the expected manner. And therefore, the solution will not come by the common path, but by the audacity and strength to travel other little trite.

2 The Gordian knots of our work

When faced with a difficult situation, make sure of it, but if after a rational analysis the problem is still insoluble, cut it off. Sometimes the resolution of our problems will be to "break" with the situation that produces them ... and assume the results of the break. This will lead us to a new situation, perhaps more favorable.

However, other times, in complex, difficult or apparently irresolvable situations, the appropriate thing is not to "break" the problem-to cut it-but to untie it. That is, to try to understand the situation before us and decide on a plan to adapt to it.

See that the great Alejandro intentionally confused strong> the method ... because he could not find the solution to the problem and because he wanted the oracle of the gods to act in his favor, but even if he says it Magno , cutting is NOT the same as unknotting.

Note also that if, by either of the two paths, we solve the problem that others have not been able to solve before, surely we will also win the East and we will be the owners of Asia Minor.

Remember the considerable success of things such as post-it notes, microwaves, i-pod, etc.? Before, nobody had solved what they solve those things with the efficiency that they do.I point out that if we continue to do things like before the Crisis, the probability that we are doing something wrong is maximum. Today our task is to reevaluate all our performance, to examine how we do the things we do and decide if they are necessary for this new stage in which we are. Today Gordias car - our company - is still tied to the column of the always we have done so, with the strong rope of the routine. Desátela or cut it (4), but do not remain immobile, tied, to the usual processes. Innovate, change, adapt to the new reality.

Stay healthy!

Miguel Villarroya Martín , May 13, 2016/Madrid. Spain/RdP. 012/ventasgrandes.net

Notes:

(1) Gordian knot is the knot of Gordias , by the name of peasant who was then king, as we have told. But ... with what other meaning do we use the expression Gordian knot in our language?

" Also, in Spanish," Gordian knot "is usually used to refer to the essence of a question, already difficult to understand, so that untying the knot, that is, discovering the essence of the problem, we can reveal all its implications . "Retrieved from" http://en.wikipedia.org .org/wiki/Nudo_gordiano ") (Note that in that opinion they are distinguished: an action (untie, unravel, analyze, etc.), and its consequence, reveal (discover, know, etc.) its implications (problems, opportunities, aspects, etc.).

(2) If the one who untied the knot was called to conquer all the East, the one incapable of undoing it, could not reach glory either. to spread the news that the great Alexander had not succeeded either, and for the morale of his troops that would be a deadly poison. Jandro realizes the danger he has gotten into, his unsolvability by the intended route ... and decides another solution to unleash Gordias's car from the column, the sword.

(3) Note to the Spanish readers.

"Tanto monta ​​em> , abbreviation of both mounts cut and untie , is the nickname heraldic (beginning of a brief sentence that was, alone or accompanied by the company -or heraldic figure-, a badge allusive to the person who used) that Fernando II of Aragon used called the Catholic. His personal badge consisted in the representation of the Gordian knot attached to the yoke, cut (referring to the story of Alexander the Great ), accompanied by the nickname "both mounts", which started the phrase "both mounts cut and untie", noting that the means used to solve a problem are not important against the solution of this. Probably this currency was suggested to Fernando II of Aragon by the great humanist Antonio de Nebrija . " Read the complete note and note the figures that are provided in it. They are very interesting.

As is known, the yoke -of the Gordio wagon- and the rope broken by Alejandro, which enveloped him, have disappeared from the current shield of Spain.

And also the arrows of Queen Isabel La Católica, tied with a piece of the same cord, that disappeared from another well-known anecdote of Alejandro (4), of which we will speak in another postcard, have disappeared.

(4) Both things-cutting and untying-are necessary in our activity. Do not forget either of them.

(5) The successful design of the image used is from the illustrator who signs on Pixabay with the number: 35393 . And it was on that website, under the Public Domain label. We both appreciate your courtesy for the free use of the image.