THE MERCHANT’S DAUGHTER
A story of “thinking outside the box”
Once upon a time, an honest merchant owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the merchants daughter. He decided to offer the merchant a deal that would completely wipe out his debt. However, the catch was that we would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the merchants daughter.
Needless to say, the merchant thought this to be a highly unfair proposition, and so the loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black. The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it was black, the debt would be cleared, but the loan-shark would then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be cleared, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.
Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the merchant’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles. While he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he had picked up TWO BLACK pebbles and placed them both into the bag. He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.
The merchant’s daughter realized that she had some choices:
1.) Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag
2.) Expose the loan-sharks for cheating
3.) Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and thereby sacrificing herself for her father’s financial freedom
After considering her options, she drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’ dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark, “Oh my, how clumsy of me. However, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”
The pebble left in the bag was obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was white, and therefore clearing her father’s debt!
ALWAYS REMEMBER…
It is always possible to overcome a tough situation with “out of the box” thinking. Never settle for the only options that you THINK that you have, and/or are lead to BELIEVE that have to choose from.
