Ever looked for something you've misplaced? Sure you have. But you didn't look too hard because you thought it was probably somewhere else? Then you went somewhere else to look for it. But, it wasn't there either, so you returned to the first place you looked, and looked again? And it wasn't there either, was it? C'mon, admit it: We didn't expect to find it. And so we didn't.
Our perception of the truth is often tainted by what we think is true. What we believe to be true can sometimes be very different from what is actually true. For example, what do you know about conditions in developing economies? Let's take a test about a gruesome statistic, shall we?
Which country has the higher child mortality rate, Sri Lanka or Turkey? Think about it. Then make a choice.
Did you pick one? Think you're right?
Here is the truth:
Sri Lanka vs Turkey
Which country has the higher child mortality rate, Poland or South Korea? Make your choice.
The truth:
Poland vs South Korea
Which country has the higher child mortality rate, Malaysia or Russia? Decide now.
The truth:
Malaysia vs Russia
Which country has the higher child mortality rate, Pakistan or Vietnam? Surprised yet?
The truth:
Pakistan vs Vietnam
One more. Thailand or South Africa? You think you know?
The truth:
Thailand vs South Africa
So how did you do?
Genius or Chimpanzee?
Solving problems often means that we need to see the problem as it really is, not as we perceive it to be. Our perceptions mislead us. We're all guilty of allowing our expectations to guide our actions, when, in fact, the logic of the reality would suggest a completely different course of action. Small problems (misplaced keys) and large problems (global economy) both suffer from this effect. Human nature.
Next time, more answers. Bigger questions.
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