A "Black Swan Event" is when the unexpected occurs, causing a huge mindshift and change in how the world works. People never imagined that Black Swans existed, until the discovery of the first Black Swan... (as per book "The Black Swan", by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 2007, that sold over 3 million copies)

Is a perception change the next Black Swan Event? Consider that by changing perception we might change the world. Look at everyday things from different angles. Find beauty in the unexpected...
Change our thinking, change our actions, change our world!

See that all people are part of God's puzzle and have something to give. Black swans do exist. The ugly duckling was actually a swan who needed to discover himself and where he fitted and be who he was meant to be. To the last, the lost and the least, you are beautiful as you are.
May all who visit this page feel God's touch and experience His blessing...

Thursday 5 September 2013

Often There is Room For More Than One Right Answer

"Can anyone explain to me what an even number is and what an odd number is?" the teacher asks.
Hands shoot into the air, many seven year olds eager to show they know the answer.
The teacher points at one sandy haired boy. He smiles and says proudly, "Well, an even number is, for example, 10 and if you break it into two equal parts you get 5 each".
The teacher stares at him for hardly a moment and says scornfully, "No, that's not an even number" She explains the concept in a different way, saying an even number gets bigger in twos, and then writes a few even numbers and a few odd number on the board.

I mull over what has just happened. I realise the boy was trying to say you are able to divide an even number in half and the result is a whole number, which is indeed what an even number is. The teacher used different words to explain the same concept, yet thought the boy's answer was wrong as she just did not understand his use of language. The teacher may have even thought the boy was stupid because of the way he explained the concept, yet perhaps he understood the concept better than any other child there. I said to him afterwards, sometimes people don't understand what others are saying, and he said "Yes" in reply with a serious look on his face. I hope, if he experiences this problem a few times in coming years, that he is able to learn to live in a world that may struggle to understand his point of view.

I wonder, how often do we miss what someone else is trying to say because we are so focused on the way something has always been done, that we miss seeing an enlightening new possibility. Often there is room for more than one right answer. Sometimes the people we laugh at may actually be ahead of us, not behind.

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