New Perspectives
Radical Thinking
Course - Subscriber Access Only
New perspectives can lead to new ideas. One of the most famous
examples is that of Albert Einstein imagining catching up to
and riding on a beam of light. He was sixteen-years-old at the
time, and this "thought experiment" as he called it,
eventually helped in the development of his theory of special
relativity. He did similar thought experiments regularly.
There are always more perspectives than we first perceive.
For example, when we argue, it is obvious that the other person
has a different perspective. In order to better understand an
issue, we might even try to think from that perspective
for a moment at least. But how often do we think of (or from)
the perspective of someone watching the argument? Do that and
you might see something that both sides are missing.
If we take an issue like religion, we know that people see
it in many ways. How does Christianity appear to an atheist?
What would Jesus Christ have to say about modern Christianity?
How do people in other religions view it? What would a visitor
from another planet think? What about the pope? And the "witches"
killed by Christians in the middle ages? Or those helped by Mother
Theresa?
Each of these people will (or would) see Christianity differently,
and if we want new ideas on the topic, we can adopt the perspective
of each as a mental exercise. But for even broader thinking and
more radical ideas, don't limit yourself to the various perspectives
of people. Our imaginations allow us to think of such things
as, "What would the Earth think about various religions?"
or "If animals could think, how would they see the religions
of the world?"
An Example of the Power Of Perspective
A visitor from another planet has taken over this body. At
least I like to think so from time to time. Why? Because this
perspective always makes things clearer.
The first time I did this "thought experiment,"
I quickly realized that the alien visitor had no interest in
my own limiting thoughts and feelings. Intending to use my body
and brain for his own purposes, he saw only capabilities and
possibilities. My feelings, failures and even stress didn't exist
for him. He was too "ignorant" to even know what to
worry about. My "problems" were challenges at most,
or games to play.
Now, what occurred to me from this is that my worries and
stresses are not "mine," since they obviously didn't
belong to my body or brain. They are created by thinking in certain
ways, and only become part of "me" when I identify
with that thinking. If I don't identify with those thoughts,
my "problems" cease to exist as problems, and become
nothing more than "choices" or "challenges."
The alien doesn't identify with my body, my brain, or my feelings
about things. He simply uses what is there to do what he can.
Can I do the same? This isn't really a new idea, since this learning
to un-identify with ones thoughts and "self" is a basic
part of Buddhism. But my alien "thought experiment"
made it very real to me. In fact, when I think from the perspective
of being an alien with my goals and my body, my worries and limiting
thoughts drop away, and I start to see what can be done. That
is the power of perspective.
Using Metaphors to Change Perspective
I have covered how you can use metaphors to generate new ideas.
One of the primary ways they do this is by changing your perspective.
Is business a game, a public service or a battle? Those three
metaphors are essentially three different perspectives. Each
will lead to different ideas.
Now, for a more specific example of how to use metaphors to
change perspective and create new ideas, let's look at an imagined
scenario. Sam is the owner of bookstore, and wants to do some
new things to generate more business. He sits down with a pen
and paper, and starts to think of any possible metaphors for
his business. Here are some of his results:
A bookstore is: a refuge... a library... a school... a restaurant
for the mind.
Going to a bookstore is: taking a vacation... an adventure...
a job.
Selling is: teaching... showing... a contest... talking...
sharing.
Notice that he has metaphors for the bookstore itself, the
activity of going to a bookstore, and the activity of selling.
It helps to think widely about the things and activities to which
one can apply new metaphors. He might have even added to list
such "idea starters" as "A book is..." and
"A business is..."
Working with the list he has, Sam starts at the beginning
and spends a little time with each metaphorical perspective.
A "refuge" makes him think about those adults who come
to relax at the bookstore, and this leads to an idea to have
a quiet room where children aren't allowed. "Library"
suggests a book-rental program. "School" makes him
wonder if having free "classes" could help sell books.
A two-hour introductory Spanish class might help sell Spanish
books and dictionaries, and an investing class might get people
buying many different investment books.
He already has a coffee shop as part of the bookstore, but
a "restaurant for the mind," gives him a new idea.
What if waiters brought books, magazines, tapes and videos to
customers tables, which they can read or look over. The customer
totally relaxes, with food, drinks, and any books or other materials
she wants brought to her. When she is done, she either leaves
the books and other things or tells the waiter which ones to
add to her bill.
"Taking a vacation" suggests ideas for making the
bookstore experience more fun and/or relaxing. Selling as "talking"
makes Sam think about having recorded readings of book chapters
that customers can listen to with headphones in comfortable chairs.
Selling as "sharing" leads to an idea for having customers
review books, and then posting those reviews.
Obviously, not every new perspective is going to produce usable
ideas. Nor are the ideas produced always going to be radically
new or unique. Perhaps only one out of every hundred ideas will
be a good one. The solution to that, however, is to just have
more ideas. Using techniques like these makes that easy.
An Exercise in Perspectives
Here are a few ideas to ponder that rely on taking a new perspective.
- If an idea was a virus, how could it infect as many people
as possible?
- In the science of ecology, the Gaia hypothesis starts with
the perspective of the earth as a living organism, of which we
and all other living and non-living things are a part. It has
lead to some interesting ideas. What other metaphor can you think
of for the earth, and what ideas does it suggest?
- If you were designing new humans, would you have fear as
part of their programming, and how would it work differently
than in current humans?
- If your cat or dog could think and talk, what would he or
she say about the way you live your life?
Okay, some of these may seem too silly. They are, perhaps,
but this is a mental exercise, so you don't have to actually
discuss them with others. Just use them as "imagination
practice," and for generating new ideas. They are no more
silly than Einstein pretending he was riding on a beam of light!
Note: This is the last lesson of the course, but there
will be one more mailing to let you know where you can get more.
Steve
www.RadicalNewThoughts.com
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