I once put up a Facebook status update about not subscribing to the term thinking outside the box. I prefer the term "Thinking In A Larger Box" Really it's like a terminology difference if you asked me. We may be talking the same thing just worded differently. The wrong expression will definitely get you the wrong reaction. I don’t care the colourful decorations you may put on the term 'Thinking Outside The Box' to justify its usage. To me you can only think outside the box when you are lying six feet taking a dirt nap, that time you are really outside the box of reality and imagination!
Caveat: I'm not a professed philosopher nor lawyer, just airing my opinion.
Below is the Facebook status update and the comments that flowed.
They Say "Think Outside The Box" I Think It's Insane. You Can NEVER Think Outside The Box Rather, You Think In A Much Larger Box. Your Realm Of Thought Will Always Be Your Box.
Mavis Ishanqueen O: Why are you destroying our illusions? The box I think could be social norms.
Ibe W: @Me, pls educate me!!! which part of the body is your own box located??????? January
Me: Yes the box could be social norms, a certain type of social norm. So when you think, you think bigger than the social norm you already have and not outside of it.
Me: The box is not located in any part of my body. The box is my Thought Realm.
Mavis Ishanqueen O: Society could be a point of start, but we can divert totally from it (revolution). Or don't you think that is possible? Cuz that would be thinking outside the box. A bigger box as you said could simply mean a reform, I acknowledge these rules exist and somehow try to bend them without breaking them.
Me: In essence if my thought realm is 3000 meters square, I need to up it to 5000 meters square. Think bigger.
Me: Revolution can only change what you already have and add a new one but can NEVER completely bring a new one. Tell me a revolution that lead to a new brand new structure devoid of anything from the old system.
Mavis Ishanqueen O: I get your point. You win...this time :-D
Ibe Wogu: You are limited by the social norm you already have because you have confined yourself to it. Even the so called limited social norm you think you have, I bet you that you have not fully exploited it. That adage only implores you to expand your horizon as what you see or perceive is not the end of what is. So simply put "think outside the box" means look beyond your limitations!
Me: "That adage only implores you to EXPAND your HORIZON as what you see or perceive is not the end of what is." Did you just use those two words EXPAND and HORIZON in one sentence to refute what I said? Expand here simply means BIGGER and horizon means BOX. Meaning think in a bigger box not outside of the box.
Ibe W: The last time I checked Horizon involves perspective, possibility, prospect, sphere, scope etc. it has nothing to do with an enclosed and defined confines like a box. If the box is a limitation for you, I advise you forget about the box and think outside it. who said thoughts can only be done in boxes, even if u have to do that in a cage or a a container just think.
Me: Like I said earlier "The BOX" is your REALM OF THOUGHT. It's not the literal structure. Perspective, possibility, prospect, sphere, scope, etc are all realms of thoughts. If your thought is outside of these, what is inside then? You can't think outside of it rather you expand. It's like a progression, AP or GP depending on the power of your thought. You can only expand beyond your limitations not outside it. If you are outside it then it's not your limitation, probably another person's.
Ibe W: Ofcourse the social norms in which we operate in is not our own creation as such cannot be said to be my limitation. It is a limitation created by other such as our bad leaders. Contrary to your position, I can expand beyond my limitations especially if it was not originally created by me. And believe me if my realm of though is so myopic, then I may act on even your own thought. I bet you there are times the circumstances around you may not permit you to expand your horizon, then what do u do in such circumstances.
Me: The bad leaders created the situation that is a limitation to you but it's doesn't mean it's a limitation to the leaders. You stay 3 days at the filling station to get fuel and you think the minister of petroleum wastes the same amount of time trying to get fuel? Hell No! He created the limitation for you but it's not a limitation for him, his is there and different. I also acknowledge the fact that different people may face same limitation. Also facing the same situation may not necessarily mean limitation for two different people. There's fuel scarcity, I own a car and you won a bicycle; do you have a problem? You can always expand beyond your limitation irrespective of who created it. Yeah tell me what happens if you can't expand.
Ibe W: The only Realm of Thought foisted upon us (Nigerians) is filled with negativity, expanding it will entail expanding Kidnapping, armed robbery, corruption and recently terrorism. The best option is to jettison our so called social ideals and embrace a new one. No wonder the Bible said "Be yea transformed by the renewal of your mind"
Me: Now you are limiting yourself with negativity. Let me ask you, "Are you currently involved in all the vices you mentioned above?" So that you see negativity around you don't mean that you think and do it/them. You've expanded beyond your limitation but you are still in the system. TRANSFORMATION and RENEWAL mean one thing, improvement on what you already have and not an entirely new one. Still pointing to expanding your horizon.
Me: The only thinking outside the box that ever happened was in CREATION since then man has been thinking in a box bigger than what creation dealt him with.
Ibe W: Well you can think within your own box, as for me my thinking is both within and outside the box (no matter what that is) that is why am an inventor.
Me: I think in a larger/bigger box not outside. Inventor how many boxes do you think outside of in a year?
Ibe W: I have more than I million boxes. Which ones are u talking about. Or do u just have only one perspective to life?
Me: I have more than 1 million boxes merged in one huge box. Just like a cow, it can be million pieces of meat to you or one piece of meat to me.
Ibe W: A ca cow, beef is diifferent cos at the point u get a beef the cow is gone. Using animals as an example, I do not have the time to be beef to a cow, rather I can be goat, Cat, chicken, lion, tiger etc as the occasion requires.
Me: Call it beef, call it cow, it's meat. A million pieces to you, one piece to me.
Mavis Ishanqueen O: Why are you destroying our illusions? The box I think could be social norms.
Ibe W: @Me, pls educate me!!! which part of the body is your own box located??????? January
Me: Yes the box could be social norms, a certain type of social norm. So when you think, you think bigger than the social norm you already have and not outside of it.
Me: The box is not located in any part of my body. The box is my Thought Realm.
Mavis Ishanqueen O: Society could be a point of start, but we can divert totally from it (revolution). Or don't you think that is possible? Cuz that would be thinking outside the box. A bigger box as you said could simply mean a reform, I acknowledge these rules exist and somehow try to bend them without breaking them.
Me: In essence if my thought realm is 3000 meters square, I need to up it to 5000 meters square. Think bigger.
Me: Revolution can only change what you already have and add a new one but can NEVER completely bring a new one. Tell me a revolution that lead to a new brand new structure devoid of anything from the old system.
Mavis Ishanqueen O: I get your point. You win...this time :-D
Ibe Wogu: You are limited by the social norm you already have because you have confined yourself to it. Even the so called limited social norm you think you have, I bet you that you have not fully exploited it. That adage only implores you to expand your horizon as what you see or perceive is not the end of what is. So simply put "think outside the box" means look beyond your limitations!
Me: "That adage only implores you to EXPAND your HORIZON as what you see or perceive is not the end of what is." Did you just use those two words EXPAND and HORIZON in one sentence to refute what I said? Expand here simply means BIGGER and horizon means BOX. Meaning think in a bigger box not outside of the box.
Ibe W: The last time I checked Horizon involves perspective, possibility, prospect, sphere, scope etc. it has nothing to do with an enclosed and defined confines like a box. If the box is a limitation for you, I advise you forget about the box and think outside it. who said thoughts can only be done in boxes, even if u have to do that in a cage or a a container just think.
Me: Like I said earlier "The BOX" is your REALM OF THOUGHT. It's not the literal structure. Perspective, possibility, prospect, sphere, scope, etc are all realms of thoughts. If your thought is outside of these, what is inside then? You can't think outside of it rather you expand. It's like a progression, AP or GP depending on the power of your thought. You can only expand beyond your limitations not outside it. If you are outside it then it's not your limitation, probably another person's.
Ibe W: Ofcourse the social norms in which we operate in is not our own creation as such cannot be said to be my limitation. It is a limitation created by other such as our bad leaders. Contrary to your position, I can expand beyond my limitations especially if it was not originally created by me. And believe me if my realm of though is so myopic, then I may act on even your own thought. I bet you there are times the circumstances around you may not permit you to expand your horizon, then what do u do in such circumstances.
Me: The bad leaders created the situation that is a limitation to you but it's doesn't mean it's a limitation to the leaders. You stay 3 days at the filling station to get fuel and you think the minister of petroleum wastes the same amount of time trying to get fuel? Hell No! He created the limitation for you but it's not a limitation for him, his is there and different. I also acknowledge the fact that different people may face same limitation. Also facing the same situation may not necessarily mean limitation for two different people. There's fuel scarcity, I own a car and you won a bicycle; do you have a problem? You can always expand beyond your limitation irrespective of who created it. Yeah tell me what happens if you can't expand.
Ibe W: The only Realm of Thought foisted upon us (Nigerians) is filled with negativity, expanding it will entail expanding Kidnapping, armed robbery, corruption and recently terrorism. The best option is to jettison our so called social ideals and embrace a new one. No wonder the Bible said "Be yea transformed by the renewal of your mind"
Me: Now you are limiting yourself with negativity. Let me ask you, "Are you currently involved in all the vices you mentioned above?" So that you see negativity around you don't mean that you think and do it/them. You've expanded beyond your limitation but you are still in the system. TRANSFORMATION and RENEWAL mean one thing, improvement on what you already have and not an entirely new one. Still pointing to expanding your horizon.
Me: The only thinking outside the box that ever happened was in CREATION since then man has been thinking in a box bigger than what creation dealt him with.
Ibe W: Well you can think within your own box, as for me my thinking is both within and outside the box (no matter what that is) that is why am an inventor.
Me: I think in a larger/bigger box not outside. Inventor how many boxes do you think outside of in a year?
Ibe W: I have more than I million boxes. Which ones are u talking about. Or do u just have only one perspective to life?
Me: I have more than 1 million boxes merged in one huge box. Just like a cow, it can be million pieces of meat to you or one piece of meat to me.
Ibe W: A ca cow, beef is diifferent cos at the point u get a beef the cow is gone. Using animals as an example, I do not have the time to be beef to a cow, rather I can be goat, Cat, chicken, lion, tiger etc as the occasion requires.
Me: Call it beef, call it cow, it's meat. A million pieces to you, one piece to me.
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