PORABLES · STORY #001
When ‘No’ Funded ‘Yes’
An impossible thought. An unexpected way forward.
She wondered, “What if Dad actually gave him the money to marry me?”
Ridiculous. But the thought gave her an idea.
“Dad, you’re right,” she said. “I should marry the richest guy. But expensive cars and Instagram photos don’t prove who really has money.”
Her father agreed.
“Give each of them a substantial cash gift,” she suggested. “Then watch what changes. If someone upgrades his whole lifestyle, the money clearly made a big difference. If nothing changes, he’s probably already wealthy.”
Her father liked the idea.
“Of course,” she added, “we should include my student boyfriend as a comparison. We already know he’s broke. His reaction will help us check whether the test works.”
The transfers went through.
While her father watched the other men for signs of new spending, his daughter and the now financially secure student quietly got married.
A modern retelling of the story supplied from Edward de Bono’s lateral-thinking work. The PO above preserves the wording of the supplied passage.
