Brian Johnson explores metis, the ancient Greek concept of craft and cunning intelligence that Odysseus and Athena embodied. It's different from brute force and from sophia, abstract wisdom. Gandhi and military strategists used it to solve problems where strength alone wouldn't work.
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Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic one. In the last couple ones, we've been exploring some inspiring wisdom from John Hale's great book Lords of the Sea, in which he tells us about the surprising role the ancient Athenian navy played in the birth of democracy and in the creation of those ancient ruins and ancient philosophy we also admire. Today we're going to continue our exploration of wisdom from his great book. Let's get straight to work. Professor Hale tells us this distinctively Greek quality was virtually untranslatable into other languages. Indeed, it ran contrary to the values in many nations, most notably the Persians. Metis, spelled M E T I s embraced craft, cunning, skill and intelligence, the power of invention and the subtlety of art. It was the weapon of the weak, and the outnumbered Athenians knew that no physical force was mightier than the mind. In the world of myth, Metis was the ancient goddess from whom Athena derived her own wisdom, not brawn. But metis was the special attribute of Athena's favored hero, Odysseus, whose stratagem of the Trojan horse succeeded where 10 years of direct assaults had failed. He continues by telling us every educated Athenian knew the famous lines in Homer's Il on the uses of Metis to win the prize. Keep Metis well in mind by Metis not brute force Men fell great oaks by Metis Steersmen on the wine dark sea steady their swift ships through the tearing gale by Metis Charioteer beats charioteer Metis it's one of the virtues the ancient Greeks admired most in their heroes. The I asked Chatgpt for a quick look at the etymology, definition and example of Metis. Here's some of what I got the term metis comes from ancient Greek meaning cunning, intelligence, craft or wisdom. It is derived from the root med, which relates to planning, thinking or counsel. This root also appears in related words like to be mindful of and medea counsels or plans. Note the root med or med is also where we get medicine, which of course is the craft of healing. And midas describes the type of intelligence or wisdom needed to optimize our energy. I love this distinction from chatgpt as well. In ancient Greek culture, medis refers to a type of practical, adaptable intelligence. It emphasizes craftiness, strategic thinking and resourcefulness, often in uncertain or unpredictable situations. Unlike abstract wisdom or Sophia, metis is applied and situational practical wisdom applied to complex challenges. I love it. All of which begs the question, how can you channel your inner Odysseus and apply a little more Metis to your biggest challenges? Let's get on that all day, every day, especially today. P.S. when I read the line about the fact that the Athenians knew that no physical force was mightier than the mind, I thought of the work we're blessed to do with our armed forces and the emphasis I always place when I give my talks on the ultimate war that exists within our own minds. I've got a link. You can check out the so Calm brief on a recent talk I gave for more I also thought of Gandhi who once said, strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will. And and and Lest you think this obsession with military metaphors is a purely Western thing, know this When I read the final line above by Metis Charioteer Beats Charioteer I thought of Gandhi's bible, the Bhagavad Gita. As we've discussed many times, the Gita features a reluctant warrior named Arjuna going to battle with the aid of his God Krishna. Arjuna is the world's greatest archer, kind of like an ancient Special Operations Forces warrior, like a seal or a Ranger. And his heroic guide is a charioteer. Little pps. As I chatted about the idea of Metis with Emerson, I asked him if he could think of a time when he applied a little bit of the Trojan horse like cunning in one of his games. He smiled and immediately said, my sneaky checkmate. To which I said, exactly, check out that plus one. I chuckled just imagining it. My sneaky checkmate.
What's up? This is Michael, President and Head Coach at Heroic. One quick note before we go. I just think it's so amazing that Brian keeps reading all these books and distilling them into more wisdom and less time. By the way, thank you Brian for continuing to read the books distill them for us. I love not having to read the book, just getting them more wisdom and less time to the plus ones of Philosopher's Notes. And if you're into this kind of thing, expressing the best version of yourself and using your greatest gifts make a positive impact on the world. Make sure you head to Heroic Us to check out all the other resources that we have available to you. You can download a bunch of free goodies including Philosopher's Notes, masterclasses and our scientifically proven Heroic app. You can also explore advanced resources to help you go next level, including live and virtual workshops, working one on one with a Heroic Performance coach, or even becoming a certified coach yourself as you master heroic performance, the fundamentals of coaching excellence, and Heroic Coaching prosperity. Again, head to Heroic Us to get the ancient wisdom, modern science and practical tools you need to activate your heroic potential and and change the world together. And please do hit subscribe. Appreciate you have a fantastic day and see you again soon.
