TRADITIONAL THINKING VS. LATERAL THINKING
We all are minds that are messed up after a 9–6 job, day to day financial crisis and are stuck between the tension of past and future, and we forget to live in the present. We all have this questions: What about my future? Will I have a decent job and a satisfactory income? Why am I not at peace? What should I do so that I am not tensed anymore? And, the list of questions continues.
We humans, since ages, we are facing this problem of thinking. Either we think too much or our thinking is very vague! Philosophy has been an integral part of the evolution of humans (mentally).
In past, we have been dealing with traditional thinking process. Let us have a look what actually is Traditional Thinking:
Traditional thinking refers to the thinking that has traditionally permeated the mindsets, models, decisions, and analyses of Western management. Its basis is in analysis and analytical thinking.
This type of thinking is usually argumentative, adversarial and western thinking. This thinking is based on the thinking process of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
When we try to find out the solution of a particular problem or a subject, it always ends up partially. The main problem with this type of thinking is “WHAT IS…” It pays attention of the problem’s subject rather than concentrating on the roots of the problem. While dealing with this type of problem, people focus on analysis and judgements and arguments. It focuses on too many aspects and too many things at a time.
The abstract idea of changing the world becomes complex and while dealing with complexities, we create more complexities.
Well, with the advancement of technology, the thinking process has also advanced and philosophy, the way of thinking has changed. Let us look at the better way of thinking. The parallel thinking process. Edward-de-Bono did changed the way we think and he has surely helped many depressed, confused souls from 1985. It was first introduced by Edward-de-Bono in 1985.
THE ART OF LATERAL THINKING
This process deals with full exploration of the subject/problem. It mainly focuses on “WHAT CAN BE DONE?” unlike the “What is…”
It also helps in constructive thinking, creative thinking and designing a way forward. It deals with only one aspect at time and the problem solving is quite better in this way of thinking. One more benefit of this thinking is it develops creativity in you. Parallel thinking has evolved and is known as Lateral Thinking. Let us take some examples of the OUT OF THE BOX thinking style.
Puzzle 1: Three switches outside a windowless room are connected to three light bulbs inside the room. How can you determine which switch is connected to which bulb if you may enter the room only once?See the popular lateral thinking puzzles below:
Answer: Switch one light on for a minute; turn it off and turn another on. Go into the room and feel the off bulbs. The warm bulb is connected to the first switch, the on-bulb is connected to the second and the cold bulb is connected to the third switch.
Puzzle 2: A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he takes the elevator to go down to the ground floor to go to work. When he returns he takes the elevator to the 7th floor and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the 10th floor. He hates walking so why does he do it? Clue: on rainy days he goes up in the elevator to the tenth floor.
Answer: The man is dwarf and can only reach the button for the 7th floor. On rainy days he uses his umbrella!
AMAZED? Such is the beauty of Lateral Thinking. Think out of the box and you stand different in the crowd of traditional thinkers.
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