Lateral Thinking

Lateral thinking

 

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune

of owing a large sum of money to the village money lender. The money lender,

who was old and horrible, 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.

 

The cunning money lender 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 money bag. 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. 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 money lender

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 money lender 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 logical choices.

What would you recommend the girl do?

 

 

 

Give your advice after a few minutes of your own lateral thinking…

 

 

 

 

Scroll down to see what the girl did:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 it every day.