lateral thinking

 

This is where lateral thinking and the instinct to look for alternative possibilities lies. 

 

Unfortunately, nowadays, in many fields many are not even willing to look at alternatives.

 

Professional expertise often leads some to  blinkered horse vision syndrome.

 

In his first book 'PO beyond Yes and NO' Edward de Bono explained clearly why he felt the necessity to highlight and to pursue lateral thinking and teaching thinking as an exclusive subject for children.

 

The first occasion which made him to do so was on the way to a seminar / conference at Moscow ( called Leningrad in those days) where 50 of world's top psychologists and psychiatrists had assembled in heavy downpour of snow and none were able to insert the key and open the car.

 

They all tried all means of melting snow using  friction rubbing hard with the thick gloves, breaking even with axe but still, hard, and heavy snow fall blocked the whole. Then they tried pouring petrol on door keyhole to melt even that didn't work. All that they tried were proven correct methods but did not work. They were 'thinking only about melting ice' . He was sitting and watching them do these while sipping his whisky sitting in a corner. He went near his car with his assigned driver, told him to stand ready with the key just pointed towards the keyhole, poured raw whisky, the ice melted, and the driver inserted the key, got inside and started the car.

 

None that of ' defreezing the ice/ snow' .

 

Then and there, in that conference itself he dwelt on his popular theory.