In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner 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 business owner’s daughter.<>
He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him.<>
However, the catch was that we would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.<>
Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.<>
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 wiped, but the loan-shark would then marry her.<>
If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.<>
Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.<>
Whilst he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d 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 daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done: <>Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.<>
Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating.<>
Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.<>
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, how clumsy of me. Never mind, 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 is 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 clear her father’s debt.<>
Moral of the story:<>
It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation throughout of the box thinking, and not give in to the only options you think you have to pick from.<>
