It was on this day back in 1184 BC that the Greeks are said to have entered Troy using the Trojan Horse. There’s been a ton of debate about the story for centuries, some argue it’s historical fact while others say it’s mostly fiction. Many scholars believe that there is a historical core to the tale but the details remain fuzzy. To refresh everyones memory, in an elementary context, the Trojan war really got started when soldiers from Troy, took Helen from her husband who was the king of Sparta. The Greeks became enraged and a massive war was started. The Trojan War had been going on for a decade, with no real end in sight. The Greeks finally decided to “think-outside-the-box”…an idea that ultimately won them the war! Because the Trojans considered horses to be sacred, the Greeks decided to build them a massive horse that they would embrace and bring inside their heavily fortified city walls. Not missing a detail and to make even more desirable the Greeks are said to have used wood from the Cornel trees, which were considered sacred, to construct it. A group of the Greeks most trained and dangerous soldiers where placed inside the horse and left outside the city gates. The rest of the Greek army pretended to leave the area, destroying their camp and boarding their ships. Following heavy debate and uncertainty as to whether the Greeks could be trusted, the Trojans finally agreed to drag the giant horse inside the walls of the city. The people were suspect at first, but after inspecting the horse and letting it sit there for several hours, the people of Troy began to celebrate, believing the end of the bloody 10-year war was ending, with a peace offering from the Greeks. The people of Troy spent the night celebrating, with most falling into a drunken stupor by midnight. The Greek warriors inside the Trojan Horse reminded extremely patient, waiting until all had either passed out or fallen asleep to come out of the horse. The rest of the Greek army had been hiding and waiting patiently as well. The warriors who were in the Trojan Horse were able to sneak up and kill the unsuspecting guards at the city’s ages and open the doors for the rest of the Greek army. The Greeks then massacred the Trojans and won the war, ultimately taking other areas nearby which some argue led to the building of Rome. I suspect there have been many conclusions and theories drawn about the message of this tale. But for me, I like to think about it often for three important reasons:
Be Open to New Ideas
Building the Trojan Horse was huge gamble by the Greeks and certainly outside-the-box type thinking.
Trust Your Intuition
The Trojans knew the right answer immediately, that’s why they didn’t race out to go get the horse and bring it inside the gates of the city. But as they waited their brains took over. They wanted the war to be over and started talking themselves into the horse being a peace offering. Intuition is generally the best choice and often comes immediately. It’s our own perception, wants and needs that start to convolute and cloud our clarity. I always refer back to the stories we read about a person being taken or snatched, they almost always say something just didn’t feel right, but they went ahead and got in the car anyway, rationalizing ion their head that they didn’t want to make the interaction uncomfortable or go against the grain. Sadly, the victim most always has the right answer in the beginning and very quickly, it’s when we take over the wheel and start manipulating our thoughts to fit what we want to see happen that things can go massively wrong!
Stay True to Your Plan and Remain Patient
The key was the Greek warriors staying patient and not allowing their anxiousness and or nervousness to get the best of them. As my grandmother always told me, ” Good things come to those who wait.” She also said, “Patience is the remedy for all troubles.” Telling someone to have patience is easy, but as we’ve all learned in life it’s extremely difficult to execute. In other words, patience is not always easy, but it is always worth it. Many philosophers argue, patience is much more than a virtue – it is a lifestyle!
Sunroof of the Trojan Horse. Why did Virgil Abloh select this expression and what does it mean?