I Must Be Crazy, or an Idiot

Working with groups on communication, I often take an opaque card, draw a circle on one side and a triangle on the other. I hold in front and ask people what they see. They say, “I see a circle.”

I say, “No, I see a triangle.”

Quizzical looks from the group, like I must be crazy, or worse, an idiot.

“No, you must be wrong,” I repeat. “I see a triangle.”

“No, you must be wrong,” they say emphatically. “We see a circle. And, since we, as a group, outnumber you, we must be right.”

You can see where this is going.

“The understanding of a circle and a triangle is simply a matter of perspective,” I say, flipping the card to reveal the other side.

Imagine where the possibilities of a circumstance are more complicated than what has been drawn on one side of an opaque card.

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