MESSAGE FOR WEEK BEGINNING 1st December 2003

Maybe things are changing - slowly

On a recent trip to Australia for an Economics Advisory Board Meeting, I was told by one of the Board members that as a young man he had read one of my books. This had changed his thinking - and as a result he had won a Nobel prize. A short time later I was visiting Pakistan and was invited by the Head of the Air Force to visit him. He told me that some years ago he had read my book "Textbook of Wisdom". A copy of this book is now given to all officers in the Air Force who were asked to read it. On a PIA flight to Pakistan the pilot (or co-pilot) told me how he read my books and found them useful. In Palestine a teacher, Rafiqq Jaffir has done excellent work and research in using my material (CoRT) in schools. Brother Peter has been visiting China, Russia, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Lithuania, Romania etc. all of whom are now starting to use my work in schools. I mention these things only to illustrate how very widespread around the world are the new ideas that thinking is a learnable skill and can be taught in a direct and simple way. Nor is it a matter of traditional logic and analysis. Those things remain an important part of thinking - but there is much more. For example ninety per cent of the errors in thinking are errors of perception (David Perkins). Sadly, traditional education systems are so very far behind. I was recently appointed visitng Professor of creative thinking at the University of Central England (Birmingham). Maybe things are changing - slowly.

Edward de Bono nmt
29th November 2003