It’s unbearable to watch someone hold back his own potential.
Why? Because in that moment, I realize I’m doing the same to myself. I must admit, I’ve got plenty of experience in this.
Unfortunately, this isn't a knot you can cut to free yourself forever. It’s more like hundreds of tiny knots, like the ones the Lilliputians used to tie down Gulliver. Those clever little tricksters did it while he slept, exhausted from battling the ocean after the shipwreck.
Gulliver could’ve tried to break free and stomp them all out. But he chose a wiser path—patience, tact, and curiosity.
By doing so, he learned a lot about this strange little people, their way of electing officials, and their sacred law that forbade breaking boiled eggs on the blunt end.
Gradually, the emperor started to trust and even like the terrifying stranger and allowed him to roam freely in their land. The people and the stranger formed an alliance. They enriched each other.
But Gulliver had more complicated knots to untangle, for in a "foreign monastery" moral dilemmas are inevitable. After solving them all, Gulliver returned home to his family.
Yet soon, the spirit of adventure called him to sail away again. This time, fate brought him to Brobdingnag, the Land of Giants. His usual thinking was turned upside down again.
But the greatest shock awaited him in the land of the Houyhnhnms, where intelligent horses ruled, and disgusting humanoid creatures (Yahoos) were reduced to the status of livestock.
Gulliver’s worldview changed so much that even years later, he felt disgust toward everything human. He was only happy around the stableman because he smelled like horses.
Jonathan Swift’s novel was first published 298 years ago, yet it remains relevant. How is that possible?
In its metaphorical form, the novel speaks to each of us. Whether we like it or not, we find ourselves on new ground again and again. There, dilemmas and mysteries await.
One day, we find answers. The search forever changes us.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.