The Pebble Story
Many years ago in a small Indian village,
a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a 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
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. If she picked the black pebble,
she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.
If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's
debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble,
her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble strewn path
in the farmer's field.
As they talked, 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
you were standing in the field. 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 the story.
The above story is used with the hope that it will make us 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 chooses the above logical answers.
What would you recommend to the Girl to do?
The girl 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 is black, it must
be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender
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.
It is only that we don't attempt to think
Author: Unknown
Author: Unknown
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