Wisdom in Myth

In Greek Mythology the story of The Trojan Horse demonstrates how a basic change in attitude and vision can help a leader find another way.

The City-State of Troy appeared to be invincible. The Greeks, under the leadership of Odysseus, had been trying unsuccessfully to conquer Troy for almost 10 years. The intrigues were endless, the cost to the Greeks had been very high. Something had to be done about a situation that appeared to have no solution.

In the beginning Odysseus did not want to engage in battle. He had settled to the idea that Troy was bigger than he was, and so, feeling powerless, he just chose to sit, defeated, on the sidelines. He was able to find lots of reasons to pull him away from the task at hand.

Then one day, for whatever reason, he woke up and decided to change his approach. He embraced his role as leader. In making that choice he was given the assistance and guidance he needed from the godess Athena. Instead of matching wits with the Trojans in a traditional manner [fighting and doing battle], he assumed his leadership role and consciously undertook to find another way.

He ordered the Trojan Horse to be built. The idea of building a massive horse, the likes of which had never been seen before, was very clever. The best Greek warriors were given the task of positioning themselves inside of the horse. They were required to squish inside the horse, remain perfectly silent and wait for the hoped for moment of curiosity and choice...the moment when the Trojans would decide to bring the horse inside the walls of the city. Curiosity got the better of the Trojans. They pulled the horse inside Troy. Inside the horse, the soldiers waited in perfect silence until the dead of night. They slipped out of the horse and successfully opened the gates of the City-State of Troy to the awaiting Greeks. After ten long years, Troy was no longer invincible and the Greeks won the war.

The World of Work awareness approach is an invitation to 'find another way', for you, and for those you know, who feel like you do about your Work-Life. Your efforts joined with the efforts of others of like mind will make a difference.

To change a system, it takes one person who is willing to contribute and to use their gifts to join with another and another and yet another so that each person contributes in their own way, using their own gifts to encourage another and another and yet another to contribute in their own way, using their own gifts and so on and so on…