There’s no need to explain how unconventional thinking can come in handy in any situation — AdmiGram.com would rather show you, using a classic old story as an example. Specifically, its most unexpected twist.
If you haven’t heard the riddle about the bicycle, the old woman, the old friend, and the girl, get ready to be surprised. It’s an old puzzle, but it can reveal quite a lot about a person’s character. The only rule is to think it through and answer honestly.
Riddle About Fellow Travelers: Who Will You Choose to Help?
© Alessandra Caretto / Unsplash
Picture this: you’re riding a bicycle and pass a bus stop where three people ask for your help. One is an elderly woman who’s feeling unwell and needs to get to the nearest hospital. The second is an old friend who once saved you in an incredibly dangerous situation.
He’s begging you for a ride because he’s in a terrible hurry — and whether he makes it in time will determine the rest of his life. The third is a stunningly beautiful girl, the kind you can only dream about. She’s so tired of waiting at that bus stop that she’s ready to marry you right then and there, just so you’ll take her away from it.
What would you do? The bicycle can only carry one passenger. Take your time — there’s no right answer here. It’s a moral dilemma designed to reveal something about the person answering it.
Some people will choose the elderly woman, since she needs help most urgently. Others will help the friend, since he once helped them. And some will simply take the beautiful girl, because — as the saying goes — opportunity doesn’t knock twice. Chances are, you’ve already made your choice and know exactly why.
But wait — what happened to that unconventional thinking we mentioned at the start?
Here’s the trick: few people think to simply get off the bike, hand it to the friend so he can take the woman to the hospital, and then go on their way. And the girl? You’ve just freed her from her two waiting companions — so now she’s free to stay with you.
As it turns out, there’s no such thing as an unsolvable problem. Unconventional thinking and a fresh perspective are the key to solving problems of any complexity.
image on top: Carl Nenzen Loven / Unsplash
