Thursday, October 7, 2010

THINKING "OUT OF THE BOX"

Many hundreds of years ago in a small Italian town, a merchant had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchant's beautiful daughter so he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the merchant's debt if he could marry the daughter. Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender's 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 merchant's garden. 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 her pebble from the bag.
CASE STUDY:
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 moneylender 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.
The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking.

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 moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an Impossible situation into an advantageous one.


MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution, sometimes we have to think about them in a different way. Winners don’t do different things. They do things differently.


We shall see how Logical thinking is different from Lateral thinking in the following paragraphs.
What is logic?
We can see a few examples.
Gold will Glitter. But all that Glitters is not gold.
Milk is white in colour but all that is White is not Milk.

What is Logical thinking? It is thinking “Out of the Box”. It helps Children to become ‘Smarter’. Logical thinking is an important foundation skill. Unfortunately its role in learning is grossly underestimated and its role in overcoming learning difficulties is neglected. Logical thinking is the process in which one uses reasoning consistently to come to a conclusion. Problems or situations that involve logical thinking call for structure, for relationships between facts, and for chains of reasoning that “make sense”.


Logical thinking is a very important skill that must be taught. Logical thinking is thinking in terms of causes and consequences, which in turn means that it is sequential thinking. Logical thinking means following a train of thought. It is like looking into and predicting the future: If this happens, then what will happen. However this has nothing to do with fortune telling. It is based on the interpretation of certain prevalent conditions and then predicting what will happen if the conditions continue to prevail.


Logical thinking is in a way the opposite of short term memory. Short-term memory is the skill that enables one to keep track of the immediate past. Logical thinking allows one to keep track of the immediate future. The two skills are closely connected. The person who has a poor short-term memory will therefore naturally have a weak ability to think logically because the one leads to another.


The ability to think logically is of immense importance in our daily lives. Day after day, from moment to moment, we are busy interpreting available evidence and making predictions on what will happen next.


Logical thinking is not only of great importance in our everyday lives, but also a skill that is indispensable for children in school. Very little of what happens in any learning situation is not dependant on logical thinking. It is therefore of the utmost importance that parents should as early in life as possible teach their children this very important skill.


Lateral thinking is specifically concerned with changing preconceived notions to bring out new ideas and can be acquired and practised as a skill. It is a special information handling process like Mathematics, logical analysis or computer simulation. Thinking techniques once mastered, can be used both individually and in a group, dispensing with brainstorming. Here unconventionality clearly comes to the fore.


Lateral thinking can save your life as illustrated in this story. Two men were on a jungle safari in Africa. Suddenly, they came across a tiger that started roaring. Both men were frightened and one of them started wearing his shoes. The other one said: How is this going to help?” We can’t outrun the tiger. The first man replied: “I don’t have to outrun the tiger; I only have to outrun you”.


Let all of us start teaching our children on Logical thinking right from their formative years. In this way we will reap benefits as the child grows up thinking “out of the box”.

Be Blissful.
S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com
Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt Gingrich
Focus on: Action not Intension; Result Not Effort; Outcomes Not Activities;
Think Economically-Act Environmentally.
Working together Works – Aligning Capabilities

Saturday, October 2, 2010

INTERESTING FACTS IN TRADITIONAL HINDU MARRIAGE

Kasi Yatra - The Bride Groom Pretends to leave for Kashi but the Bride's Father stops him.

Malai Matral - Both the Bride and the Groom exchange Garlands to symbolise their unification.

Oonjal - They sit on a Swing which represents the ups and downs of life.

Mangala Dharanam - The boy ties the mangala sutra around her neck.

Saptapadi - They take seven steps to promise the following:

You have become my companion, whereby I acquire your friendship. We shall remain together inseparable. Let us make a vow together, we shall share love, share the same food (In different plates), share the strengths (giving the synergy). We shall be of the same mind. We shall observe the vows together.

Reception - Spend an evening with him and her (Bride groom and the Bride).

Hope you enjoyed reading the above details on Hindu Traditional Marriage. It is really nice to follow the tradition which our forefathers have left us which treads us into the righteous path and also gives us peace, security and Happiness.

Call us. We care for you. We give advice on every detail for a smooth function. We go by the paradigm that “the customer is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it.”


Be Well. Be Blissful.

Good Day.
S.SEKAR
Email: sekrajc@yahoo.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/Sekar1
Blogsite: http://ssekar.blogspot.com/
Working together Works - Aligning Capabilities

Friday, October 1, 2010

SMILE! SMILE! SMILE! YOU WILL SUCCEED

A Smile costs you nothing and by putting up a smiling face you can enter into fruitful relationships with other people. A smiling person is welcomed by one and all in the society. A simple smile takes you from nowhere to anywhere.

A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile as much as he who has no more to give.

Smiling is infectious,
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.

Smile. Have you ever noticed how easily puppies make human friends? Yet all they do is wag their tails and fall over.

Smile. It is a simple act, but sometimes takes a lot of effort. A smile can cause boundaries to melt, hearts to warm up, and distances to reduce. Why don't we smile more often? Is it too tough to smile? The answer lies in our attitude towards life. If we are more accepting of situations, we will be able to smile more easily. Here are some inspiring smile quotes. Always wear a smile. Remember, without your smile, your attire is incomplete.

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles. You're never fully dressed without a smile. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. If you see a friend without a smile; give him one of yours.

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure, but scattered along the life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. The shortest distance between two people is a smile. To receive a smile, give one away.

If you’re not using your smile, you’re like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook. Smile, don’t frown. Look up, don’t look down. Believe in yourself. Don’t let yourself go. Just be who you are and let your live flow.
Your relationship skills are much more important than your professional skills. A person who performs his duties happily always gets quick promotion than his other colleagues. A smile on your face while at work is a guarantee that you will get promotion out of turn as everyone will recommend your name and no one will oppose it.
A lively smile on your face is going to give others a positive impression of your personality as a friendly person. People will like to associate with you. Your circle of friends will grow fast without any effort on your part.
If you are feeling depressed due to any reason think of a past joyful event in your life and smile. Smile relieves tension and creates a positive mind frame enabling you to reach at the best solution of the problem without being swayed away by the false fears and unfounded doubts.
Smile attracts happiness and no doubt a happy person is a successful person. Keep on smiling to attract more happiness and success in your life.
If this article brings smile to your face then please refer it to your friends particularly to those who have forgotten to smile. Let there be smiling faces all over the world and happiness all around.

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com