THE RIDDLE

 

You are wearing two normal shoes. You remove one shoe.  Which one is left?

 

This is an unusual riddle which bears a unique feature:  The concept behind the riddle applies to many aspects of everyday life.  Before you continue reading, write your answer (or answers) on a piece of paper so you can refer to them later.

 

Why this Riddle is Unusual

Riddles take on many forms:

* Some riddles can have several answers; the goal is to choose the most logical answer out of several possible answers.

* Some are "trick riddles" with the answer being something totally off the wall.

* Some are a play on words, with the answer resembling a similar word. In effect, the answer is a pun.

* Some riddles contain 'red herrings' designed to distract the listener from guessing the correct answer.  

 

This riddle falls into the last category.  It is a red herring riddle.  

 

On the average most people try to over-think the answer to this riddle.  They will most often make one of the following guesses:

 

No matter which shoe you remove, the one you don't take off is the one that is left on your foot.  (This tends to be the most common answer.)

 

Or they really try to over-think it, figuring you're trying to trick them, and will guess that the shoe is the one that is left in your hand.

 

In reality, which shoe you remove is totally irrelevant to the riddle.  It is a red herring statement designed to distract and confuse the listener, drawing attention away from the very logical and most simple answer:

 

No matter which shoe you remove, there is in reality one 'left shoe'. 

 

Why this Riddle Stands Out

At first this seems just like a simple riddle, one of those "gotcha" riddles, perhaps a bit humorous because the answer is so easy.

 

But in truth, the structure of this riddle applies to so many aspects of daily life-- which is why it warrants this blog page discussion.   The bottom line value of this riddle:

 

Very often in daily life, people are so busy worrying about things, being anxious, and trying to over-think the situations in their lives... they fail to see the most logical, simple and obvious answers.

 

 

An Example: Time Management

"I'm so busy I never have enough time."  Granted, with some people that is truly the case.  They hold down two jobs to make ends meet, try to care for their family, and if they get five hours of sleep that's a blessing.  Sometimes life just bites.

 

But for many people the logical, obvious answer to "not enough time" is simple:  Eliminate distractions. 

 

Turn off the television. Put down the cell phone.  Turn off the tablet. Find something more productive to do.  Develop your talent. Find a hobby.  Educate yourself through reading.  Spend more time with your family, trading solitary, useless or vegetative activities for valuable, productive ones.  Believe this: you don't want to turn 60 years old and realize you've spent most of your life in front of a television or computer screen. 

 

Often it's not that we don't have enough time;  it's that we don't use our availalbe time wisely. 

 

The Shoe Riddle Lesson: Cut through the noise, eliminate distractions, get rid of irrelevant things, ignore the emotional red herrings... and focus on the obvious, logical steps toward a better life.

 

The Shoe Riddle isn't just a riddle.  It is a core concept that makes life simpler, easier and more obvious on so many levels.  

 

I would write more on this subject, but the whole point of the Shoe Riddle is avoiding unnecessary clutter in our lives and focusing on core values. The point is made.  The sole question:  what will we do about it? 

 

-- Pathfinder