478. Lateral Thinking at Erroneous Context is not Intellectualism....

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/self-improvement/lateral-thinking-at-erroneous-context-is-not-intellectualism

Thinking is a skill which involves both divergent and convergent modes. An intellectual uses them according to the situation. Irrational thinking and lateral thinking when not synchronized to the prevailing context appears to be unintelligent and irrelative. This divergent thinking is creative thinking and can be appreciated if it sticks to the current events and help in solving a problem. There are many intellectuals who in a bit to show off their thinking skills go off track and give ideas which are irrelevant.

There was a sports meet organized by a school for the elementary students in a village. The chief guest was a very well known name in the world of literature and a person who was considered as Buddhijeevi (intellectualist). The sports event for the day was 800 meters for the boys. The winner of the event was to be awarded with a bicycle which was sponsored by the local philanthropist.

The race was flag off by the school head master and the boys had to go around the school ground twice to complete 800 meters. At the start the boy with the red T-shirt started off in a flash and was ahead of the rest. When the first lap was nearing to completion all the boys were neck to neck in the race and the boy with the red T-shirt was feeling tired. At the mid way of the second lap a boy wearing blue shirt picked up the pace and ran fast towards the finishing line and won the race. The boy with the red T-shirt could not finish the race as he was exhausted. 

At the time of prize distribution the intellectual chief guest called the boy in the red T-shirt and gave away the bicycle to him. When asked about his decision to honour the boy who had not even completed the race the chief guest said, “I appreciate the zeal the boy displayed at the beginning of the race. And moreover what is the necessity of a bicycle to a boy who can run fast and finish the race? The bicycle should be given to the boy who is unable to run fast. He can peddle to school if he is late while the boy who came first can always run and reach the school in time.”

The parents of the students, the class teachers, head master and all the prominent people who had gathered there were dumbstruck by the reply they heard from the intellectualist. In similar manner some intellectuals use their critical thinking and give their opinions on many stories which are to highlight some moral ethics. They do not look at the moral statement the story is stressing on. This way they not only disrespect the literature but also mislead the young generation.

Yes, out of the box thinking is very crucial to succeed and it is good for a person to have, but it has to be pertained to very few subjects. There cannot be logic to all that is happening around us some are approached by using our conditioned thinking. All of our thoughts are mostly conditioned. Though it may be right for us to think laterally it is not always right to use it at every instance. Out of the box thinking can generate ideas for processes, techniques, and outcomes that are innovative and which can get a WOW expression on the younger generation face, but sometimes it could miss the very much obvious…..isn't it?????