There was once in a small village a farmer who owed an large sum of money due to be repaid to a very ugly old man. If the money was not repaid, the law said the farmer would have to go to debtor’s jail. After a terrible farming season, the father did not have the funds to pay his debt. However, the farmer had a very pretty daughter that the old lender was sweet on, so the lender proposed a deal.

He said he would cancel the debt if he could marry the farmer’s daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified about this proposition. Seeing this, the old lender suggested chance should determine the outcome of his proposition. He told them he would put two pebbles, one black and one white, in an empty money bag. The daughter would then pick one, without looking.

If she picks a black one, she must marry me and the debt to her father is eliminated. If she picks the white pebble, she doesn’t have to marry me but the debt will still be cancelled. If she refuses to pick a pebble, her father will go to debtor’s prison.

While speaking, the old lender leaned forward
and picked up two pebbles. As he was picking them up, the daughter who had a sharp eye noticed he had picked up two black pebbles and put them in the money bag, but she said nothing. The old lender then asked the daughter to pick a pebble out of the bag. This discussion was taking place on the road that was in front of the lender’s house and the road was paved with pebbles.

There are three possibilities. The daughter refuses to pick a pebble. The daughter picks out both pebbles and reveals the old man as a cheat. She could pick one of the black pebbles and sacrifice herself by marrying the old coot and saving her father from prison. Take just a moment and think “What should she do?” What would YOU do?

The daughter’s dilemma cannot be resolved in an equitable manner using traditional logic. Think of the consequences of each of the three possible options. Here is what the young woman did.

She plunged her hand into the bag, picked a pebble and then, pretending to be clumsy, dropped it on the ground. Before it could be determined whether it was black or white, it mixed with the other pebbles on the road.
 
“Oh, I am so clumsy” said the young woman, “but it does not matter. I will remove the other pebble from the bag and we will know which pebble I picked first, don’t you agree?” She quickly reached into the bag and withdrew a black pebble. “Since the second one is black then that means the first was white” she declared as she looked at the lender. The old man did not dare announce his cheating.

The young woman was able to grasp the situation and turn it to her advantage. A solution exists to almost every situation. It’s just that we don’t always know how to examine all of the angles of a given problem.

Here’s hoping that you can be as smart as a farmer’s daughter the next time you are faced with a ‘No-Win’ situation.





Agreed. But what do you do, when you don't know a problem exists?
Can't fix what ya don't know is broke, eh?
And ignorance...ain't always bliss. Jis my 2

Ride Free
Tweek

Damn! I shoulda posted this in "Off Topic". Sister Tweek, yeah I know whatchoo sayin. We don't always see him pickup 2 black pebbles. Guess the 'lesson' is when confronted with a problem, think of what you can do that is equitable, fair and allows you to step away from the problem unscathed. Think bigger! Oh, and remember to breathe...

What was that? Got lost looking into those eyes for a minute...