Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
Gordian Knot/Human Situation
The myth about the Gordian Knot relates to how Alexander the Great dealt with the problem of untying it. He simply got a sword and cut it in half, and by doing so, he became, over a short period of time, the conqueror of the world. Of course, did he really deserve to get what he wanted. In the end he felt disappointed that after he conquered, there was nothing left for him to do. Since the knot is impossible to untie, the use of force was a waste of time, because violence only leads to more violence.
I would think that if the Gordian can be untied it would have to be from the center of the knot where the thread ends. So, the use of the sword was simply the destruction of the knot, not untying it at all.. The threads were cut asunder and made useless.
Many like to use this archetype as a picture of the human situation. It is like what is going on between Israel and Gaza, how can that situation be untied. How can one get to the center, to know how to unravel the situation? The use of the sword, while understandable, is like with Alexander, actually useless over the long term.
Neither side is innocent. Yet there are many people both Arab, and Jew who are innocent of any wrongdoing. Yet they along with the guilty must pay the price of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It is endless.
The same can go for many human situations, an impossible standstill of sorts with the same give and take that causes great suffering.
As I age, I am coming to understand the wisdom of the “Sermon on the Mount”. The sayings are difficult, seemingly impossible to live out, yet Jesus counsels us to practice them. I do believe that the Gordian Knot that shows us the human situation on so many levels can only be untied and the central thread can only be unraveled through letting go of the desire for revenge, as well as hatred for the enemy. It would have to come from both sides since the knot is created by the interrelationship between peoples, governments, and yes, the individual.
I doubt this will happen. However, on an individual level we can attempt to show mercy and compassion to our enemies. Sometimes it can bring healing, at other times, well it leads nowhere. Governments have to protect their people, and yet, this is often at the expense of those on the other side. We can see this at this time by what is happening in Israel and Gaza.
It is heartbreaking to see the suffering on both sides. Yet it has to play itself out if we can’t find a way to unravel the knot from the center. Our human archetypal situations take on a life of it’s own and only some ‘other way’ of dealing with them can change the outcome. At this time it seems pretty dire for everyone. The corners we are being backed into are getting tighter causing an untold weight of suffering for the world.
Sometimes, while action is needed, important, and crucial, there is also a time when prayer may lead to some sort of ending to impossible situations.-Br.MD
