As a people we face many complex issues that often don't appear to have a solution. These are what I like to call "Gordian Knot" issues. In an effort to move us past some of these issues, I thought that I'd create this presentation.

1. The Gordian Knot
Darryl Heron
September 15, 2014

2. Why This Presentation?
Many of the problems that we face today are complex and we often
have groups of people holding passionate beliefs on two ends of a
spectrum.
In trying to solve the problem, we often have battles between the
extreme ends of the spectrum and trying to get a solution has become
a Gordian Knot.
It is the Gordian Knot that I wanted to explain in this presentation. It is
my goal that by understanding its existence, we can get enough people
to move away from the polar ends and solve some of the many great
problems we’re facing today.

3. Alexander the Great in Gordium
Legend has it that Alexander the Great when he
was in Gordium attempted to untie its famous
knot. When he was unable to untie it, he used
his sword to slice it in half. This knot has come to
be knows a the “Gordian Knot” and has become
a metaphor for solving “impossible” problems
by “thinking outside of the box”

4. What Does The Gordian Knot Mean to Us?
When Alexander the Great realized he couldn’t untie the knot, he sliced
through it. We often limit ourselves to picking a solution from only two,
creating and “Us verses Them” dynamic where one side can not “win” without
the other side “losing” but this is a “zero sum game” and nobody likes to lose
or concede without seeing some kind of concession. Many of the problems
that we face today have stalemates like this.
By cutting the knot, or looking for “outside of the box” solutions, we can some
of these issues. As a society we should look at more of the “hot button” issues
this way. This means looking at the ideas that appear wild and crazy and first,
and who knows some of them might even need to be crazy to solve the
problem.
I plan to bring up some of these “Gordian Knots” in the coming months and
where possible, I’ll present some possible solutions.

5. Look for these #hashtags..
▪ #ChangeTheWorld
▪ #OurProblems
▪ #OutOfTheBox
▪ And others that will come to mind as time goes by

6. Einstein Says….
Albert Einstein reportedly said that doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results was the definition of insanity…
He also is credited with saying that no problem can be solved from the
same level that created it.
We need to heed this good words of advice.

7. Thank You, Dan Carlin!
I’d like to thank Podcaster Dan Carlin, for introducing the “Gordian Knot”
metaphor to me via his Common Sense Podcast.
Common Sense is a great “non-partisan” podcast focused on politics in the
United States, because the U.S. plays such a big role in the world, you can
quickly see how the material he covers on this show effects the world. Dan
gives an insightful view to many different issues
He also has a great podcast about history, called Hardcore History. He is
currently producing a series of podcast focusing on World War I. Something
that is very topical today.
His main website can be found at: http://dancarlin.com
Common Sense: http://dancarlin.com/disp.php/csarchive
Hardcore History: http://dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive

8. Be Sure to Check Out…
About.me
http://about.me/darrylheron
LinkedIn:
http://de.linkedin.com/in/darrylheron/
Darryl Heron‘s presentations on SlideShare
http://www.slideshare.net/darrylheron
Check out my online Portfolio
http://de.slideshare.net/darrylheron/my-portfolio-darryl-heron
Email me:
mailto:darrylheron@about.me