Friday, April 13, 2012

lATERAL THINKINg

Many years ago, when a person
who owed money could be
thrown into jail, a merchant in
London had the misfortune to
owe a huge sum to a money-
lender. The money-lender, who
was old, ugly and wicked,
fancied the merchant's beautiful
teenage daughter. He proposed
a bargain. He said he would
cancel the merchant's debt if he
could have the girl instead.
Both the merchant and his
daughter were horrified at the
proposal. So the cunning
money-lender proposed 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 and then the girl
would have to pick out one of
the pebbles. If she chose the
black pebble, she would become
his wife and her father's debt
would be cancelled. If she chose
the white pebble she would stay
with her father and the debt
would still be cancelled. But if
she refused to pick out a pebble,
her father would be thrown into
jail and she would starve.
Reluctantly, the merchant
agreed. They were standing on a
pebble-strewn path in the
merchant's garden as they
talked and the money-lender
stooped down to pick up the
two pebbles. As he picked up
the pebbles, the girl, sharp-eyed
with fright, noticed that he
picked up two black pebbles and
put them into the money-bag.
He then asked the girl to pick
out the pebble that was to
decide her fate and that of her
father.
Imagine that you are standing
on the path in the merchant's
garden. What would you have
done if you had been the
unfortunate girl? Refuse to take
a pebble? Point out that there
are two black pebbles in the bag
and expose the money-lender as
a cheat ? Take a black pebble
and sacrifice yourself in order to
save your father from prison?
None of the suggestions is very
helpful, for if the girl does not
take a pebble her father goes to
prison, and if she does take a
pebble, then she has to marry
the money-lender.
NOW, THINK LATERALLY!
The girl in the pebble story put
her hand into them oney-bag
and drew out a pebble. Without
looking at it, she fumbled and
let it fall to the path, where it
was immediately lost among all
the others.
"Oh, how clumsy of me," she
said, "but never mind - if you
look into the bag you will be
able to tell which pebble I took
by the color of the one that is
left."
Since the remaining pebble is of
course black, it must be
assumed that she had taken the
white pebble, since the money-
lender dare not admit his
dishonesty. In this way, using
lateral thinking, the girl changes
what seems an impossible
situation into an extremely
advantageous one!

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