This article demonstrates the value and
power of thinking out of the box. It's one of many articles The
Creativity Institute has reviewed and reprinted on nurturing and
boosting creativity in children. In this historical example, you'll
see how encouraging effective, yet unusual solutions, can have
wonderful results, especially when applied to your child's creative
development.
Creativity and Broken Eggs
by Tony Papajohn
In 1420, the dignitaries of Florence held a
competition.
They offered the enormous prize of 200 gold
florins to the architect whose genius could span the unfinished
dome of the Florence Cathedral.
This was a great challenge. Even the original
builders of the cathedral in 1296 left writings hoping that God
would offer a solution because they did not have one.
Filippo Brunelleschi was the answer to their
prayers.
He proposed the radical idea of a dome supported
by a brick vaulting system that balanced the opposing forces,
but without the customary central supports.
The experts called him mad.
Brunelleschi sought to demonstrate his design
with a challenge.
He could stand an egg upright on a flat surface.
Could they?
All were unsuccessful.
Finally, Brunelleschi cracked the bottom of
the egg and set it down.
It must have been a mess, but it stood upright
and demonstrated his idea.
The experts protested, but Brunelleschi remarked
that they could have done the same if they had understood his
design.
Of course, they did not. They didn't understand
creativity either.
They were too mentally confined by their concept
of the possible. Figuratively and literally, the thought of solving
the problem by breaking the egg never occurred to them.
One imagines their frustration trying to balance
the round egg on the marble tabletop and their groans when Brunelleschi
demonstrated the sloppy, but clever solution.
We all have eggs we never think of breaking.
These are the fixed states of mind that we
accept without question as "the way things are." These
states represent the boundaries of our thinking and, therefore,
our life experience.
Refuse to be confined by the eggs others never
think of breaking.
Geniuses break eggs.
Break your share.
That's why they make paper towels.
About The Author
Copyright 2004 by Tony Papajohn.
Tony writes and speaks on success. Subscribe
to his free SuccessMotivator e-zine at http://www.successmotivator.com.
tony@successmotivator.com