Creativity and the Story of the One-Legged Stool

Image by JKönig via Flickr

I woke up the other night with a memory from childhood. From an early age, I remember thinking differently than other kids. I believed there was something wrong with me; that I had an affliction of some sort. Now I realize it wasn’t an affliction, but creativity.

When I was in elementary school,  I remember debating with one of my teachers about a three-legged stool. My teacher made a point about teamwork and used the analogy of a three-legged stool to support his argument. While I agreed with his teachings on teamwork, I questioned the fact a stool had to have three legs. I knew a stool could have one leg, or even more than three legs. Anxiously, I raised my hand and suggested a stool didn’t necessarily need three legs to stand. But, I was not allowed to explain my reasoning.