Mind works when it is free, open and stimulated, experiences limit this possibility.
This is a very controversial statement to make, I stand by it because to depend on experience is limiting the possibility, to seek a solution is an unlimited possibility. We are so trained to depend on our experience to solve our day to day problems, we train our mind on a particular method based on experience time and again, It is hard to differentiate between reflex or cognitive ability most times (simple definitions apply). Those who can resist this, go beyond the realm of experiential learning, end up being the geniuses we come across once in a while There are a few in our living time we can see.
Imagine the person who stood up in the meeting room in Sharp Mobiles and said lets put a camera on a cellphone, people will love it. The kind of reaction that person would have got is not something most of us would be comfortable with.
Our education system has trained us to think to blend in, create a path but not too unique, I remember asking some questions at school and getting disciplined, things like why cannot the motor become a dynamo given most of the working is the same, The concept of free energy were things I have asked and got snubbed and discouraged. I failed to go beyond, and the pressure was to focus on conventional studies, in hindsight there was a balance between both which I probably missed.
When we see the likes of Elon Musk and SpaceX, Bill Gates and Microsoft, Steve Jobs and Apple Music or Ela Bhat, Muhammad Yunus and the Microfinance, we need to see how problems were solved or new industry created by a totally unique Idea. Imagine standing in front of your family or your board and saying lets launch rockets !!! Not something all of us will be very self-motivated to do.
"This is the problem with the world today: Nobody wants to take risks, to risk being themselves. Giorgio Armani"
While just lateral thinking alone cannot help, there has to be a healthy blend, that is easier said than done. In my experience, I came across a few important things one should to encourage learning and development and hence advancement.
Past does not always dictate the future: If the past dictates the future then there is a level of linearity in our life, which in some aspects may be true, but not always a reliable measure, example: seasonal allergies can be linked to linearity but not power disruption. So past experience may be helpful to understand past problem not necessarily makes sense to a new problem. "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. - Alvin Toffler"
Multi-Disciplinary Learning: Encourage multi-disciplinary learnings, there is no rule that a medical student should not learn about fine art or vice-versa. To create a solution one should understand the subject not just have knowledge of it, go beyond the usual, find multiple sources even if they are not conventional or make you relearn what you already know.
Encourage answers even more than questions: Way too much focus has been given on questioning, there should be equal or more emphasis on giving answers, this is fundamental to learning, encourages diverse views on subjects (stems from the concept there is no single answer ever everything is relative).
A solution is a journey, not a product: Many refuse to believe a solution to the problem may be the start of a new problem, When Tesla rolled off the production floor it solved the (took the first step to solve) fossil fuel problem, but for Elon Musk that was the beginning of the new problem how to recharge on highways.
I am amazed what a human brain is capable when the right learning is possible, the right learning creates the best understanding, the necessary understanding with proper motivation creates a lot of answers, this forms the basis of the potential solutions, and one such qualifies to be the solution.
Here is a brilliant youtube channel "Smarter Everyday", that I regularly watch which has this interesting video on reverse bicycle experiment that takes this into a different level of thinking.
#smarter #understanding #knowledge #learning #cognitive #humanexcellence #new #problem_solving #past #experiences #prisoners
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