GREAT PROGRESS

Psychologists divide human thought into two types: convergent thinking and divergent thinking. Convergent thinking means the mind sticks to one line only. A person may see one fact but fails to grasp another. This is uncreative thinking.

Divergent thinking is different. It means the mind can shift from one angle to another. A person sees one fact, and then their mind turns to another. This is also called creative thinking. (January 24, 1989)

For example, a man went to a town to buy shoes. The population was large, but there was no shoe shop. One kind of person notices only that no shoe shop exists there. That is convergent thinking. Another kind of person, faced with the same fact, thinks: here are many customers for shoes, but no shop to serve them. If a shoe shop is opened, it will do very well. He then opens one and makes a great profit.

The second man had divergent thinking. He saw the opportunity for business in the absence of one.

Divergent thinking is a quality of creative people. Creativity is the most important condition for progress. Scientific discoveries are made by those who have creative minds. Great political achievements are carried out by those with creative vision. Commercial success is reached by those who can think creatively.

In this world, success goes to those who discover the secret of turning loss into gain.