Throughout the history, there have been kings and conquerors longing to establish their dominion over the world and leave a glorious legacy behind. From a certain German dictator to the deadly Mongol invaders, from mighty Roman generals to fearless Spanish conquistadors, this world has never been enough for a few men, And yet, none finds a mention in history as remarkable and as majestic as a young Greek boy from nearly 24 centuries ago. An ambitious prince ascended the throne of Macedon at a tender age of 20, and left an indelible mark on the history before passing away at the prime age of just 32, due to typhoid (or some say poisoning). Alexander the great (Sikander or Iskandar) has been the biggest inspiration for military generals, corporate strategists and anybody with a dream twinkling in his eye.
For such a short rule of 12 years, his list of accomplishments are astounding. Consider the fact that even the richest Mughal emperor Shajahan is known for just one thing. For construction of the Tajmahal. And even this took him 22 long years to see the construction through.
Well, Alexander within a short span of 12 years, united the whole Greek peninsula 350 years before Jesus Christ was even born, turned them into an efficient military superpower and won the battle of Gaugamela against mighty Persian empire. He defeated King Darius III and his 250,000-400,000 estimated army with his much smaller count of 47,000.
During his expansion beyond Greece, Alexander is said to have founded the port city of Alexandria in ancient northern Egypt facing the Mediterranean sea, and it has been one of the most historically significant cities ever. It housed the great Library of Alexandria before it was burnt down mysteriously during the Roman siege. It is believed that this library had a copy of every book that was ever written till that point of time and some of those books were the last surviving copies of those texts. Imagine all the knowledge of war-craft, magic, alchemy, botany, biology, astrology, culture, philosophy and history of mankind under one single roof. Phew.
When Alexander first brought forth the idea of expanding beyond and conquering all the way into Asia, even his staunchest advisers would have called him nuts. But he turned this as well into a reality. And we have been obsessed ever since with this master general's herculean achievements and his anything-is-possible attitude, How would you then blame his worshipers who believed in the legend of him being a demigod, a son of Zeus himself?
I just turned 31 this year myself, and in retrospection, I can hardly tell a single accomplishment of mine within even a thousandth fraction of Alexander's. Heck, I can't even claim to have met face to face anyone else with that kind of footprint on history yet. So what helped Alexander achieve everything he set his eyes on and conquer the whole world. I would attribute it to one of his most unique characteristic strengths. Unfortunately, we find it reduced to a rather casually misused jargon by corporate management today- Thinking out of the box. And no other incident substantiates it better than the legend of Gordian Knot.
The Legend Of Gordian Knot
While on his conquest to Asia, Alexander passed through the kingdom of Phrygia, also known as Anatolia or Asia minor (Asian part of modern day Turkey). Centuries ago, before Alexander arrived, the Phrygian line of kings had ceased and the priests declared that the next man entering into the city on a bullock-cart would be crowned their king. Gordias, a simple farmer just happened to drive his cart into the gates at that moment when he was informed what a fortune he had mined today. As a gesture of gratitude Gordias dedicated his lucky cart to a Phrygian deity, who was equivalent of Zeus, the king of all gods. He tied this ox-cart to a post with the bark of a flower plant, so intricately that the entangled knots became impossible to see through. As the plant grew over the centuries, the knot became increasingly more difficult to undo. Then, an oracle announced that only a son of Zeus can undo the knot and the one who does it will rule over entire Asia. Many had tried since and all had failed. But the legend kept growing popular.
The legend drew Alexander in too and once he reached the Gordian temple, he saw the problem statement in the physical form for the first time. It was such intricately knotted beyond belief. No mortal could have done it. But Alexander was a student of the great philosopher Aristotle himself. When others used to give up, he used to feel just warming up. "How to undo the knot"- he kept strolling and thinking around this centuries old ox-cart tied to the post. And then, like a lightening strike, much to the horror of the priests, Alexander unsheathed his sword and cut the knot in a clean swing. With a gravity in his tone, he declared- "I've undone the knot, haven't I priests?"
Another version of the same tale says that Alexander pulled the linchpin (central screw) from the yoke (balancing beam) of the centuries old ox-cart, after which the ox-cart collapsed by itself and the knot got untangled.
Alexander was rumored to be the blood of Zeus himself since that day. And it worked as an extra layer of confidence for his troops whenever he rode ahead of them in battle at the vanguard. His heroics in Asia are an evidence of how powerful this belief had been.
Whichever version of the tale suits your palate, but it just symbolizes Alexander's unique attitude towards finding the solutions for a massive problem. The same thinking was also apparent in his legendary win at the battle of Gaugamela where he attacked King Darius III at the center of Persian army, after luring away his flanks. When the linchpin (the Persian king) taken aback by surprise, ran off to save his own life, the five time larger outnumbering army collapsed by itself.
Alexander's tale is a story about the power of belief. How an ordinary man can strive to achieve extra ordinary heights in life, if he just carries the right attitude and a staunch belief. Lack of age, experience, resources- no obstacle would be able to pose a challenge, if one has the will and wits to think out of the box.
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