A teacher teaching math to a class of 6-year old’s, asked a boy called Arnav in class “Arnav, If I give you 2 mangoes and 2 mangoes, how many will you have?” Arnav said, “5.” The teacher said, “Arnav, if I give you 1-2 2 mangoes and 1-2 2 mangoes how many will you have?” “5,” replied Arnav.
The teacher
was upset but remembered that Arnav’s mom had said that Arnav does not like mangoes,
he likes strawberries. So, she changed her example. “if I give 2 strawberries
and 2 strawberries, how many will you have?” ”4, “replied Arnav.
Oh, the
teacher was pleased by the change of strategy. Just to confirm that Arnav had
understood his math right, she asked Arnav again, “Arnav, if I give you 2
mangoes and 2 mangoes, how many will you have?” Arnav replied, “5.” The teacher
now was annoyed, “how can 2 and 2 strawberries be 4 and 2 and 2 mangoes be 5?”
Arnav replied, “I already have 1 mango in my bag madam.”
Who was
right?
Was the
teacher wrong? No, because 2 plus 2 is 4.
Was Arnav
wrong? No because 2 plus 2 is 4 and 1 mango in my bag makes it 5.
Is it not
a fact that all kinds of conflicts come because of the gap between technical
and practical rightness? The teacher was technically right. Technical rightness
means to see the obvious. Technical rightness means to see what is visible, and
Arnav was practically right. Practical rightness means to see beyond the
obvious. Practical rightness means to see beyond what is visibly seen. Practical
rightness means to see the hidden mango.
Ladies
and Gentlemen very often, all our conflicts come because the gap between the
technical and practical rightness.
Whenever you
find that your spouse is not loving you enough, yes you may be technically
right, he or she may not actually love you that much. But are you, practically
right? Practical rightness means to see the hidden mango. Why is he or she not
loving you?
Your child
may not be listening to you and technically you are right, you child is not
listening to you, but are you, practically right? Practical rightness means to
try to see the hidden mango beyond the obvious, why your child is not behaving
right.
The next
time you see someone not fit into your definition of what is technically right,
please do not be judgmental. Go beyond the obvious. Go beyond the seen, and try
to look for the hidden mango which will truly help you to understand the person
and resolve the conflicting situation that you are in.
Thank you!!
