Archie

On the "Aha Experience". . (invented by Archie???)

A King of Athens, long ago, desired a golden crown --- and,

To satisfy this worldly wish, he hired a craftsman of renown. The King set forth instructions and issued a weight of gold; Thus -- in due course -- a crown was made, as the craftsman had been told.

(But) when the King put on the crown, he began to be suspicious

That the craftsman, in his use of "gold", had been less than judicious. The King could find no way to prove he had actually been "cheated"; Yet, the more he thought he "might have been", the more his temper heated.

"There has to be a way" (he thought) "to solve this weighty question; And, if it's not resolved quite soon, it's going to ruin my digestion". So ----- the King called in a scholar (Archimedes was his name) To solve the problem for once and all -- (thus "Archie" gained his fame?).

In order that he'd think his best (or, so we now suppose), Archimedes went to take a bath; and, (of course) took off his clothes. When entering his bathtub -- that was full up to the brim -- His body displaced water, which overflowed the rim.

That water can be, thus, displaced is a Universal Law; The "genius" of this man of Greece is that he really "saw". "Eureka !", Archimedes yelled (or, so the story goes), As he went streaking down the street without a stitch of clothes.

Now -- the purpose of this oft-told tale is NOT to say he "streaked"; But, to emphasize he yelled "Aha !" (or, "Eureka !", if you're Greek). "Eureka, I have found it !", (translated) means, " I SEE . . . . . . there IS a true relationship between Life's A's and B's".

For most of us it's easier to think of Life as "static", And push each separate thing, "un-seen", into a mental attic. But, "LIFE" is -- truly -- a flowing thing, in which ALL parts relate ----- and, A major difference twixt Man and Dog is ----- how we "correlate".

So ----- a task of every "mentor" (whether in or out of school) Is to emphasize "relationships" as a basic learning tool. "Aha" is such a tiny word; but, to knowledge it's the Key -- For it's the part of learning where the student says ---- " I SEE !!! "

A couple of comments??

Many people are familiar with the term ( in English ) that has to do with
a "light bulb" going on inside one's head when, finally?, some
thought -- idea -- or concept -- becomes, crystal, clear.

And, many may remember having experienced a "special feeling" --
inside themselves -- when this "event" occurred in the past.

BUT -- what is REALLY fun is to work with people who are having trouble
grasping an idea -- or concept -- and THEN watch them
when that "light bulb" goes on.

IF you watch closely, you can actually "see" something happen to their eyes.
It is almost as though you can see the actual light from a
little light bulb go on inside their head.

Which brings up another "element" for those who haven't already figured it out -----

When you are having difficult getting others to "see your point" ----
instead of just "repeating" what you have said before
STOP for a second ---- and, then -- very gently --
try to "put your point across" -- again --
using an "alternate perspective".

It is surprising how often this works -----

resulting in a great big

AHA!!!

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Last Reviewed: May 01, 2008