Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of
owing a large sum of money to the village moneylender. The moneylender,
who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. So he
proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he
could marry his
daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the
proposal. So the cunning moneylender suggested that they let providence
decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a
white pebble into an empty moneybag. Then the girl would have to pick
one pebble from the bag.
1. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her
father's debt would be forgiven.
2. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her
father's debt would still be forgiven.
3. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into
jail.
Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the farmer's field, the moneylender
bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed
girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into
the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.
Now, imagine that you were standing in the field that day. What would
you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would
you have told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and
expose the moneylender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order
to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
Take a moment to ponder over this story. Experts use it to make people
appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The
girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking.
Think of the consequences if she chose any of the above logical choices.
What would you recommend to the girl do?
Well, here is what she did ...
She put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without
looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path
where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. " Oh, how
clumsy of me," she said. " But never mind, if you look into the bag for
the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked. "
Since the remaining pebble was black, they had to assume that she had
picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his
dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an
extremely advantageous one.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution, which you
can find if you stretch your mind. If logic isn't working, try lateral
thinking.
Lateral thinking is a creative exercise. Practice every day.
owing a large sum of money to the village moneylender. The moneylender,
who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. So he
proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he
could marry his
daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the
proposal. So the cunning moneylender suggested that they let providence
decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a
white pebble into an empty moneybag. Then the girl would have to pick
one pebble from the bag.
1. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her
father's debt would be forgiven.
2. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her
father's debt would still be forgiven.
3. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into
jail.
Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the farmer's field, the moneylender
bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed
girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into
the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.
Now, imagine that you were standing in the field that day. What would
you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would
you have told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and
expose the moneylender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order
to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
Take a moment to ponder over this story. Experts use it to make people
appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The
girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking.
Think of the consequences if she chose any of the above logical choices.
What would you recommend to the girl do?
Well, here is what she did ...
She put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without
looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path
where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. " Oh, how
clumsy of me," she said. " But never mind, if you look into the bag for
the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked. "
Since the remaining pebble was black, they had to assume that she had
picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his
dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an
extremely advantageous one.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution, which you
can find if you stretch your mind. If logic isn't working, try lateral
thinking.
Lateral thinking is a creative exercise. Practice every day.
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