Recently, at our client event, I talked to our group about Solomon’s Paradox.
(This all happened in the Bible, and there is no actual evidence for King Solomon’s existence, but it’s a great illustration of human psychology nonetheless…)
King Solomon was known for his wisdom, and could solve tricky problems for others like magic.
Think Judge Rinder with a palace, servants and a crown (Rinder may have these already, anyhoo…)
But guess what?
He wasn't so great at making decisions for himself. He built giant palaces and collected wives like shoes, and eventually his kingdom wasn't so happy.
That's the paradox: he was wise for everyone else, but muddled for himself.
Take, for instance, one of his moments of genius:
Two women stormed into King Solomon's court, both clutching the same bawling baby.
They both claimed motherhood, and it all got a bit “Jeremy Kyle” in the palace.
Solomon, ever the wise king, decided to test their love.
He called for a sword, its cold gleam slicing the air. With a dramatic flourish, he declared, "This child clearly needs dividing! Let each woman take half!" (Yeah! Gotta love the Old School methods! The Bible’s not just about wise men, donkeys and the Easter Bunny…)
One woman, her anger melting into horror, cried out, "No! Give him to her, just keep him safe!" But the other, eyes hard as week-old Gregg’s sausage roll, hissed, "Divide him fair, King! Let none of us have him!"
In that instant, Solomon knew the truth. The woman willing to sacrifice her claim, to see her child live even by another's hand, was the real mother. He awarded her the child, his wisdom unravelling the tangled knot of lies.
This became the famous "Judgement of Solomon," a testament to his ability to see through deception and reveal the purest truth.
But it also birthed the paradox: the king who unravelled others' tangled lives, sometimes tripped over the knots in his own.
Modern psychological research has thrown up evidence that we’re better at giving others advice than we are at solving our own problems, and this is because we are able to be more objective; less influenced by emotions and biases.
It’s one of the reasons our group events are so valuable to those who attend, not because we threaten to chop up babies, but because we always ask for group participation, knowing a wealth of wisdom and years of experience sits collectively within the group.