I am an overthinker, a worrier, a wringer of hands. If I shift from the energetic ADD adult whose mouth and brain often lack a filter, to a quiet, moderately grouchy, pondering soul, you know something is troubling me. In that condition, I best be left undisturbed. If the music from my headphones is especially loud, you know I am searching for some sort of homeostasis for my brain. I have several mantras that run on a loop in my mind when I recognize this inner trait emerging. “Control the controllable” is my most recent phrase. Others include: “Not my monkey, not my circus” and “Nobody’s gonna die!”.
My dad had a good one that he commonly used. He would make eye contact and simply utter the word: “Kiss”. He wasn’t asking for a smooch. It was the acronym for “Keep It Simple Stupid”. He usually said it to me, but I do recall him saying it out loud to himself a time or two to help pull his mind back to the situation at hand. I experience deja vu, Dad moments, when I now repeat these sayings to myself and in conversation with my children and friends.
I have a new bullet loaded in my parenting gun for the next conversation, where I am either talking one of us off a ledge or simply listening, trying hard to empathize with the situation being described. I can’t wait for the reaction when I toss out the reference to “Cut the Gordian knot”. Knowing my luck, my son will already know the history of that phrase, and he will then proceed to educate and enlighten me on the intricate details of its meaning and origin. He is quite intelligent and well-read in a wide variety of topics. I am hoping it's a new phrase for him and that I get the opportunity to look extremely smart to my firstborn. Wish me luck.
According to Google AI, the Gordian Knot was a legendary, intricate knot tied by Gordius, the King of Phrygia (modern-day Turkey). This kingdom was prominent in the 12th to 7th centuries BC. The prophecy was that whoever could untie the knot would rule all of Asia. A crafty and cunning Alexander the Great outwitted the King by simply cutting the knot with his sword, rather than trying to untie it. “Gordian Knot” is now a metaphor for any complex or tricky problem that requires a bold, unconventional and simplified solution. To me, “cutting the Gordian Knot” is the ancient version of Dad’s “keep it simple, stupid” admonition.
Doris Kearns Goodwin uses the Gordian Knot phrase in her book, “Leadership in Turbulent Times,” in describing the methods and process that President Lyndon Baines Johnson used to secure passage of two big, beautiful bills. One was a significant tax cut measure, and the other was the famous Civil Rights Act of 1964. Both bills were leftover legislation from JFK’s administration and were immediate priorities for LBJ. I learned from reading this book that LBJ was a master of controlling and manipulating the legislative process, but not so sharp in handling the Vietnam War.
I frequently find examples in city council work where the Gordian Knot just needs to be cut. Sometimes it is better to efficiently make a decision and avoid motions to table the issue for another meeting. Using phrases like this does help me in critical thinking, as the debate and ensuing vote approach. I plan to put a post-it note with the boldly written words: “Gordian Knot” in front of my seat, next to the microphone. It will be right next to the ones that say: “Filter Todd, use your filter!” and “Remember, you are on camera!” All of our council meetings in Preston are livestreamed on the Preston City Facebook page. This method of transparency is helpful to me in controlling my behavior, and I hope provides more clarity and information to our constituents. I strongly encourage all public entities to use such technology to give better access to the information the public deserves and desires.
In a manner of speaking, severing or untying the Gordian Knot is the opposite of procrastination. I would concede that inaction is sometimes the best action, depending on the issue. Time can be friendly in the evaluation of a problem. Over 20 years ago, a good friend of mine told me, “Make time your friend.” I have thought of that sentence dozens of times since I found myself wrestling with a stressful situation. I have held and tested the belief for many years that decisions are best made after a good night’s sleep. I often encourage my children to “sleep on it one night” before making what could be a fateful life decision. I continue to be surprised and a little bit amazed at how less threatening the worry I took to bed appears as the sun rises the next morning. But eventually, a decision has to be made, and life needs to move forward.
So the challenge for me will be the continued search for that tricky and elusive balance of using time and patience in deliberation with imitating Alexander the Great by “cutting” to the chase of a solution. As I improve in this skill, maybe I can add a prominent post-it note to my collection that says, “job well done, Todd!”
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