Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
Two Pebbles

 

 

> > 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.

> >

> > 1) If she picked the black pebble, she

 would

become his wife and 

her

> > father's debt would be forgiven.

> >

> > 2) If she picked the white pebble she need not

marry him and her

> > father's debt would still be forgiven.

> >

> > 3) 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 that 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?

> >

> > Well, here is

 what she did ....

> >

> > 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.