Welcome to 97th Monday Musings:
A teacher teaching Mathematics to seven-year-old Emily
and asked her, "If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?
"Within a few seconds Emily replied confidently, "Four!"
The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three).
She was disappointed. "Maybe the child did not listen properly," she thought.
She repeated, "Emily, listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?"
Emily had seen the disappointment on her teacher's face.
She calculated again on her fingers. But within her, she was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy.
Her search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make her teacher happy.
This time hesitatingly she replied, "Four!"
The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that Emily liked strawberries.
She thought maybe She doesn't like apples and that is making her lose focus.
This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?"
Seeing the teacher happy, young Emily calculated on her fingers again.
There was no pressure on her, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to succeed.
With a hesitating smile young Emily enquired, "Three?"
The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself.
But one last thing remained.
Once again she asked her, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?"
Promptly Emily answered, "Four!"
The teacher was aghast. "How Emily, how?" she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.
In a voice that was low and hesitating young Emily replied, "Because I already have one apple in my bag."
Moral of the story :
When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect don't think they are wrong.
There may be an perspective that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion.
Most people do not listen with the intent to understand. Most people listen with the intent to reply.
Listen to the sound
Understand the situation
Act after making use of the intuition and the brain
Make it a great Week !
Shailesh
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