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 in this situation 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! What do you think the girl did??
The girl in the pebble story put her hand into the money-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 Colour 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!

MORAL OF THE STORY: Most of the complex problems do have a solution its
only that we dont attempt to think.

SO START THINKING :)