How did you think about an answer?
Spend 30 seconds thinking about how you arrived at an answer.
Inevitably, the most common answer is that the block of wood will fall DOWN
to the floor. While this answer IS the most appropriate answer for common
living, this puzzle shows how easy it is to give the most obvious answer first
and to ignore alternative possibilities. It's so easy not to consider the
context of the problem. Different situations need different answers. You are
probably already living in a different world to the world which existed yesterday.
How have you changed your view of life to take the changes into account? (NB.
Remember that on a practical level you must always accept that will never
know everything and that we are here to learn and enjoy the process of learning.)
A graphic example of this type of assumed thinking is as follows:
What will happen when a woman walks out of her home dressed normally in a
smart jacket and skirt?
The answer depends on where she lives in the world. What is considered acceptable
and normal in one country can be quite different in another. There is a phrase
that "Sin is geographical" which means that you can commit a sin
in one country that is not a sin in another:
- In many countries, the woman will be respected by society because she
is working hard in an office, the assumption being that she is contributing
to the economy.
- In other countries, she will be committing a sin of showing parts of
her legs and could be stoned to death!
In some countries, teenagers can buy automatic guns whereas in other countries
it is totally unacceptable. You will see the world from your own perspective
which is influenced by the closest world around you. Try to escape that mindset
and explore other possibilities which will improve your current world.
We do not see the world as it is, we see it as we are.
Lessons to be learned from this puzzle
Think about the current situation before answering
- If you see the world from only one angle you will struggle to change
it.
- What assumptions have you made?
- What rules have you assumed?
- How do your own perceptions influence the world you inhabit?
- How do you see the world and how is your view different to that of other
people? What advantages and disadvantages are there of each way of thinking?
How can you think differently?
- Imagine the problem from someone else's angle.
- What happens in other countries/cultures/companies?
- How can you change the situation to make a solution work?
- Visit or read about other people's lives and try to understand why they
think in the way they do.
"Knowledge is created by the learner, not given by the teacher."
If you are trying to learn something then you will need to think about it.
We are not trying to teach you anything you don't already know, you are
merely using us to remind you of things you want to remember.
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